Fluttering her eyelashes, she tried to open her eyes and focus on the room around her. After several rounds of intense love making, they had eventually fell asleep at some point during the night.
Buffy scrunched her eyes and let out a groan, going by the slither of light that was making its way through the gap in the drapes, it was at least daytime, she looked at the clock on the bedside cabinet and groaned again. 13:21.
Not only was it well past morning and now into the afternoon but she hadn't been home to shower and change and had missed not one but two of her classes. When she felt his arm tighten around her waist, her worries stopped, and she smiled.
College was important to her, she had never missed a class until this week, but right now, this was where she wanted to be. After how she had been feeling, taking some time for herself and to feel as safe and content as she did right in this moment, she didn't care about skipping today.
"Morning" he leaned close and kissed the back of her neck as he nuzzled in, breathing in her scent.
Buffy giggled and linked her fingers through his "More like afternoon… we've slept through morning" she felt him laugh quietly behind her, but he didn't say anything else. They laid in perfect silence in each other's arms, just enjoying the moment.
It wasn't before long where the sound of his annoyed Texan accent bellowed "Y'all decent, or do I have to cover my eyes AND put those damn earplugs back in again?" Without giving them a chance to respond Linds' kicked the door open and grinned at the pair.
Buffy's face burned bright as she shrunk underneath the duvet, last night she didn't care how loud she was, the noises she was making she couldn't even describe… she had also completely forgot that he was in the house.
Angel sat up in an attempt to shield her from his roommate's gleeful gaze "What do you want Lindsay?" He held his friends gaze with a glare, hoping that he would take the hint and leave the room.
Lindsay rolled his eyes "Well I was trying to enjoy a peaceful quiet morning, but this damn phone keeps on ringing" at that moment the phone began to play a tune and vibrate loud as a call came in.
Buffy winced when she heard the song, her phone wasn't even in the realm of her thoughts last night after she had arrived here. She stuck her hand up from underneath the duvet and waved "Sorry… can you?"
Lindsay motioned to Angel before throwing the phone, so that he could catch it carefully. He winked towards the pair and turned to leave "If y'all ever decide to leave that bed today, I'll be makin' some food in a half hour"
Angel nodded and thanked Lindsay silently when he closed the door over and left them alone "He's gone" he watched as she pulled down the covers, her cheeks were still several shades of pink with embarrassment.
Buffy let out a deep breath and groaned "Oh my god! I can't believe he heard us…" she put her hands over her face and giggled.
"Trust me, I've probably heard worse coming from his room" when she peaked from behind her hands, he smirked at her then leaned down to kiss her soundly. Before it could go any further her phone rang again.
Buffy sighed and looked at the caller ID and felt bad, it was Willow calling, once again, she had completely forgot to mention to her friend where she was when she left The Bronze last night "Hey, Will"
Angel leaned back onto the pillows with his arms crossed behind his head, Buffy shimmied over and place her head on his chest as she listened to Willow ramble in worry "Will?" The rambles continued.
"Willow!" Her stern voice stopped Willow in her tracks and allowed her to speak "Will, I'm sorry for making you worry, I'll explain everything later, okay?" When her friend asked where she was, she smiled up at him "Angels"
She kissed his chest then closed her eyes as she could practically hear the tick in her friend's jaw before she spoke. I hope you know what you're doing Buffy, I don't want you to be hurt anymore than you already are. It was sweet that she was looking out for her, but she couldn't be mad, Willow didn't know what had gone on last night.
"I promise, I'll be home later and we'll talk, okay?" Willow sighed and said that she would see her later then hung up. Buffy slid the phone onto the table and retook her position, snuggled into Angels side without filling him in on the conversation that was just had.
Angel kissed the top of her head "I guess she has a right to be worried about you, she's a good friend Buffy" like he could read her thoughts, he sighed and kissed her head again "It's okay, I mean, to tell her about him…" he hated the thought that her friend thought he was an asshole.
Buffy leaned onto her forearm so that she could look into his eyes, she could see the pain he tried to hide and wanted to take it all away "I'll only tell her what she needs to know but once I do, she will see that you are the great guy I told her about"
As he locked eyes with her, she leaned down to press her lips to his softly. He palmed the back of her head with one hand and the other rested on the bottom of her back pulling her closer as the kiss deepened.
The sound of her tummy rumbling broke the moment and she blushed again, hiding behind her hand in embarrassment. Angel chuckled "Shower, then food?" When she nodded, he got out of bed and extended his hand to hers to escort her to the bathroom.
Oooooooooooooooo
"Nice to finally see you two lovebirds reappear fully clothed" Lindsay winked at Buffy when she blushed but managed a small glare from behind Angel as they made their way into the kitchen. Having heard the pipes for the shower switching on, then off again, he began the prep on the lunch he had offered them.
Angel poured some juice for all three of them then sat down beside Buffy and let her snuggle into him as they waited on their food. He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand that rested in his lap and smiled at how well last night had gone. At first, he thought it was a lost cause and that he would lose her.
She must have felt his body language change, or she had a direct line to his thoughts because she instantly gripped onto his hand and squeezed it gently. The smile she gave him was something that made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.
Lindsay sat plates in front of them and they dug in, he on the other hand took his plate and muttered about eating in his room and maybe getting a quick nap in before heading to work later. Buffy bit into her sandwich and shot him a look, feeling less embarrassed than she did earlier.
Once they were done, Buffy took their plates and washed them before drying and asking where they were kept. Angel grabbed them both a soda before stretching out on the sofa, letting her rest against him.
"Sorry about Lindsay, he likes to sound like an asshole but he's great" she shook her head and smiled, although he had been winding them up, he was noble enough to step in last night when it came to the evil one.
"He's not too bad" she chuckled lightly and nuzzled against him "I'll have to leave soon; Willow will be out of class, and I owe it to her to be there when shes back"
Angel nodded "I'll walk you home, if you'd like?"
Buffy turned round to look at him, her dainty fingers stroking his face "I'd like that Angel" he leaned closer as she tipped her head, letting him kiss her gently. The kiss was soft and loving, without being rushed and urging on anything further. With a sigh, she stood up and searched for her shoes.
Angel grabbed his jacket and shoes as they left, when they began the walk Buffy rubbed her hands over her arms as it was a little breezy. Taking off the jacket, he slung it over her shoulders and wrapped his arm around her waist to keep her close.
When they reached her dorm, she invited him in, and they sat on her bed for a half hour talking away before Willow stepped inside and gave them both a look. Sensing his cue to leave, Angel kissed her once more and smiled at her roommate "I'll speak to you later, bye Buffy… Willow"
As he closed over the door the redhead quirked her eyebrow at Buffy. Last night when she disappeared, her and Oz had waited till after closing, asked around then waited up until at least 3am to see if she would make an appearance. Eventually they both fell asleep after trying to make multiple calls and then again, this morning, with no luck until late this afternoon.
Buffy looked at her apologetically "Will, come sit down" she patted the bed and let her friend join her before giving her the watered-down version of what happened the previous night. Throughout the conversation Willows expressions ranged from anger to disbelief and back to anger again.
"Willow, he showed me a picture of them from when they were teens… they look SO alike but Angel is so kind and caring whereas Damien is cold and heartless" she remembered to when he got up-close and personal with her and that kiss, it was nothing like the ones she shared with Angel.
Willow sighed and looked to her hands, she was glad that Angel was the guy Buffy said he was, her friend deserved happiness but at what cost, would this nightmare doppelgänger cause issues for them forever more?
Being ever overzealous when it comes to studying and wanting to know everything about everything, she pulled out her laptop and typed his name into google, just to see whats the what. Some articles popped up about the pair of them from when they were younger, the death of their sister and most recently an award puff peace from a College back east praising Damien on his scores for being top of his class at Med School.
Buffy read through them with her and frowned, it seemed like his twin was an overachiever, who got what he wanted. She clicked on a link for a photo with him and an older couple, the article explained that their family was wealthy and not just a little, but a lot.
Angel had told her when they got closer that his parents were affluent and that he hated mentioning it to people as either they would hound him for money or try to get dirt on him for blackmail. That was mostly the reason for him being modest with spending, except when it came to their dates.
She scrolled down the article to see another photo of the couple but this time with Angel, his eyes were the give away. There was just something about his eyes that shown who he was, the smile on his face was also less of a smirk than his brother would give as well.
"I know you like him Buffy but isn't this just a little strange? Good twin, evil twin? You know, it sounds like a work of fiction or something…" she didn't want to be the big bad, trying to ruin happiness but she didn't want Buffy to land herself in some weird family drama.
With a deep breath she smiled "I love him" seeing her friends eyes widen she continued "I love him so much and I know that's why I was so hurt but I trust him, and I want to be with him" she looked back to the laptop and clicked the little x in the top corner to close the window.
Willow looked down to her hands and sighed, there was no way now that she would try to convince Buffy to forget about him. She said she loved him and by the look on her face and that dreamy way she spoke to him, she fully believed it "I'm happy for you"
Buffy wrapped her arms around her friend and whispered "Thank you" then they both smiled widely. Willow squeezed Buffy tight then got up and put her laptop onto the desk. Biting the inside of her cheek, she thought on how to handle this situation "Will, if you do come across him, just smile and leave it be… I don't think he would do anything though, just be careful okay?"
Willow nodded, not that she was super confrontational or that, but she would speak out on things that she feels strongly about "I promise" she would love to give him a piece of her mind but a promise is a promise. Besides, if anyone was to sort this situation out then it should be Angel.
Oooooooooooooooo
When her door was knocked on, Buffy stood up carefully and placed the nail polish onto the bedside cabinet. Carefully, she waddled over to look out peephole and smiled wide when she could see the messy brown hair.
As soon as the door was opened her smile faltered, she could see how she was fooled before but looking at him now, knowing about him, she knew this wasn't her Angel "Yes?"
Damien put on his best impersonation of his brother, even down to that weak ass voice he liked to use when it came to women "Buffy, can we please talk?" He held out a rose to her and held back a smirk when she took it and let him inside.
Throwing the rose into the small bin beside the desk, she turned to him and scowled "What do you want Angelus"
He rolled his eyes and lost the nervous little puppy look that sickened him, he stood to his full height and peered down "Ah, so you know about me" he clicked his tongue and came closer to her "Funny, didn't think you wanted to speak to him again"
Buffy flinched when his fingertips caressed her cheek, she took a step back and looked up into his dark, demanding eyes "Why are you such an ass? What did Angel ever do to you that you have to be this way?" Damien gave her that same little half smile that would usually make her weak in the knees but coming from him, it was unnerving.
He sighed dramatically "Why not, lover?" When she glared up at him, he came closer and ran his fingertips over her slender neck, lingering on her pulse. He leaned in and inhaled her sweet scent "I'm better in every way… I could show you…"
As his fingers grazed down her neck and over her breasts, she placed her hands on his chest and tried to push him with all of her might. Damien barely moved an inch and laughed mockingly at her "Feisty, I like that Buff"
Seething, she extended her arm and slapped him hard across the face, wiping that smug expression right off him "I don't want anything to do with you, you're pathetic" when he looked back in rage, she done her best to not look scared.
He rolled his eyes and groaned, almost in pleasure as he rubbed his face "Oh you are a pistol" seeing that he was getting nowhere with her, he smirked one last time "Give my brother my love" and then left quietly.
Buffy waited a moment before she felt the tears well up in her eyes, but she didn't let them fall, no way in hell was he going to ruin the good things in her life. Slowly walking over to the door, she turned the lock incase he decided to come back for round two and then sat on her bed in complete silence.