A2zmom: I'm not so familiar with how higher education in the States works, so wasn't sure if there was a clear distinction between them but Yeah, Angel is at Law School.
The gentle tap tap tap on the door roused him out of his sleep, Angel peeked one eye open and looked around. He remained still, listening, when the next tap tap tap came, he groaned and thud his face off the pillow.
Pushing up on his hands he sat up and rubbed his hands over his face to try and waken up, although it was well past 10, he didn't get to sleep till around half 3 due to studying. He was so tired. Rolling his shoulders, he made his way out of the bedroom and across to the front door, he was going to curse up a storm but stopped when he peeked through the peephole.
Opening the door slowly he smiled tiredly "Buffy?" She smiled sheepishly at him and waved her fingers "What are you doing here?" When she flinched, he closed his eyes for a moment "Sorry, come on in" he stepped aside and let her enter his apartment.
Buffy looked around the apartment and cleared her throat "I'm sorry if I woke you…" she took note that he was only wearing a pair of black boxer shorts and nothing else, making her throat feel dry and bringing a blush to her cheeks.
Angel blinked rapidly trying to collect his thoughts and nodded, he ran his hand over his hair and half smiled "Give me a minute" he disappeared out of view, presumably to his bedroom. Buffy looked around the apartment more in depth and jumped when he reappeared beside her "Hey… so what brings you here"
"Hey…" she smiled up at him and now felt a little silly, what answer could she give him other than wanting to see him and not sounding like a complete whack-job "I got access to my trust fund, and I wanted to come see you?" She decided she may as well be honest with him.
Angel noticed that she had a backpack with an airline sticker attached to it, a smile tugged at the corner of this mouth at her determination, as far as he knew, she had been on a plane maybe once in her life and had barely left California and now she was all the way across the country.
"Giles gave me your address, don't worry he knows I'm here, knows that I'll be safe too" she dropped her backpack on the floor and smiled widely. She felt that awkwardness come back as he took a moment to look at her then bit her lip when he pulled her into a hug.
His hand cradled her head as he held her tight "Why didn't you say anything? I could have met you at the station or even at the airport" he kissed the top of her head then looked down at her.
Buffy shrugged "I just wanted to see you" since her epiphany of sorts before Christmas, she had been in a better headspace, had been spending more time back with Giles and had missed not being able to see Angel too, video calls were just not the same.
He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, her surprise visit invoked a feeling in him that he couldn't describe "I'm glad you're here" they smiled at each other for a pause, both looking into each other's eyes. The sound of Angels phone ringing broke their gaze as they both turned to look at it, he let her go and answered.
Angel mouthed that it was Giles "Hey, Yeah she got here not long ago… I know, okay. Speak to you later" he ended the call and looked at her "He guessed what time you would arrive at, got up early so he could call… wanted to make sure you made it okay"
She rolled her eyes and chuckled "Good ole Giles" you could always count on Giles to make sure you stuck to your word and to track your every movement when you went anywhere outwith a ten-mile radius from Sunnydale "He's sweet"
Angel nodded, that he was, if it wasn't for his generous soul then Buffy would never have come to live with them until she found her foster home all those years ago. Each time those thoughts came to the forefront he tried to shut them down, he didn't want to think about never knowing Buffy.
Buffy yawned loudly, turning red as she did, she had managed to catch a red eye out east before the train to get her here. Sleeping on a plane just wasn't comfortable at all, she tried but spent most of the journey awake and nervous about showing up here.
Angel frowned for a moment, she suddenly looked tired "Why don't you take my bed, go for a nap and then we'll go out and I'll show you around"
She shook her head "Oh I couldn't do that, not when I've woke you up"
Giving her a stern look he nodded towards the bedroom "You need the rest; besides I can get some notes typed out before we go" seeing her hesitate, he stroked her arm then led her into his inner sanctuary.
Buffy noted that it was decorated similarly to his room back in Sunnydale, all shades of black and dark red, all seductive and positively screaming Angel "Thank you" she went up onto her tiptoes and kissed his cheek, he rubbed her back before heading out and closing the door. Taking off her shoes and jacket, she climbed into the rumpled bed, pulling the duvet up and inhaling his scent and closing her eyes.
Oooooooooooooooo
It was only a short nap she took but she felt refreshed, she grabbed a shower and got ready before they both went out to explore the campus and the town. Buffy was amazed by the buildings and the relaxed atmosphere, even though it was the weekend, it still felt academic but not as twisted as high school.
They headed to a small joint for lunch where they caught up about things that they had a little or no discussion about over the phone and talked about how school was going. Angel asked if she had heard from her former friends, but she said no, not even on her birthday, but it didn't bother her.
The temperature dropped a good few degrees by the time they had left the café, they had to make a quick pitstop to buy some more layers for Buffy, as she had only packed California appropriate winter clothes that done nothing for her here.
As soon as Angel opened the door to his apartment, he turned the heating up full blast and made them both a coffee. Buffy pulled the blanket off the back of the sofa and wrapped it around herself "Is it always SO cold here?"
Angel handed her the coffee and sat down close beside her and shrugged "Only when its cold?!"
Buffy gave him an annoyed look and deadpanned "Funny"
Keeping his face void of all emotion he retorted "I'm a funny guy" when Buffy snickered, he let himself have a quiet laugh too. She shook her head and sipped at her coffee, he took a drink of his too and switched the TV on.
They watched a comedy movie that had came on, followed by some trashy reality show but by then they had gone back to discussing Buffys plans for once she had graduated. She frowned and said that she wasn't sure what she wanted to study and didn't want to make a rash decision just because it was expected of her.
Angel draped his arm over the back of the sofa and looked at her "You've always had a talent when it came to painting, have you given any thought to following in your parents' footsteps?" Since meeting her, she had always loved to paint. Of all the classes she was slipping in, her arts class was still a pillar of excellence.
Buffy sighed and at her coffee back onto the table, she loved to paint, loved the arts but it always caused a pit of despair to form in her heart. It made her think ever more so about her parents and she wasn't sure if she could channel that into something positive "I don't know…"
The Gallery was technically still owned by her family, well, Buffy to be exact, ever since her parents passing the shop still ran but by default went to one of their oldest friends. Part of her coming of age meant that she could revert to full owner, if she chose to do so.
She blinked heavily to get rid of the dampness that had formed "I know they were both talented and The Gallery does well but what, what if I follow and I make a fool of myself and them?" One of her biggest fears was tarnishing their memory, considering the path she had been going down, she might have already.
Angel shook his head and cupped her cheek with his hand "You could never… besides, I believe you are talented enough that you could make a name for yourself" he smiled kindly "You still have a little before graduation and then you can do whatever you want with a gap year"
Buffy placed her hand on top of his and closed her eyes "Thank you" when his thumb stroked her cheek softly, she tilted her head, almost melting into the moment. When his hand didn't move, she opened her eyes to see his own dark chocolate orbs filled with something, something she couldn't quite place.
Angel paused for a moment, his eyes ran over her face as if he were looking for the answer to a question, he cleared his throat then looked away. He let go of her face and dropped his arm from the back of the sofa down to round her waist and pulled her against him.
She snuggled her head against his chest and bit her lip, trying to hold back a smile. A tingly feeling worked its way from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, that's how she knew she liked him. No one else would ever invoke this reaction from just sitting on the sofa, in each other's arms.
They went back to sitting in silence just watching TV, being content with each others presence. Their hands sought out each other and linked their fingers, his thumb rubbing small circles on her skin. Eventually their embrace was broken when she had to go to the bathroom.
When she same back she found Angel in the kitchen with some ingredients, getting a start on dinner "I can cook you know" she leaned her elbows onto the island in the kitchen, her face in her hands and smiled up at him, eerily like when he had picked her up at the station a while back.
Angel smirked "Yeah, I can guess as much but you're my guest, so I'll cook" he shrugged and prepped the vegetables before putting them onto a tray, followed by chicken he had seasoned with some herbs and spices. He popped the tray into the oven and grabbed them a soda from the fridge "Dinner won't be long"
Buffy nodded and accepted the soda and took a long drink, she almost blushed from her stupid butterflies that were fluttering in her belly. Although nothing had been said, today had been perfect, it felt comfortable and just right. The way he looked at her also felt right and she hoped that it wasn't all in her head.
After a pleasant dinner they spent time listening to some music and talking about everything and nothing at the same time. When it came time to get some sleep she hesitated, coming here was a good plan but there was only one bedroom.
Sensing her pause he stopped at the bedroom door "Why don't you take the bed and I'll take the sofa" she looked to the sofa then back at him in thought. She shook her head and linked her fingers through his and led him through to his room, her heart was beating so hard she thought it was close to being seen beating out her chest.
She slid under the covers, followed by Angel. Once he got comfy, she snuggled into his side and laid her arm over his chest, feeling his chest rise and fall as the breathed "Goodnight Angel"
Angel kissed the top of her head and smiled "Goodnight, Buffy" he felt her squeeze him for a second then sigh as she closer her eyes. Once he felt her breathing even out, he smiled and closed his own, letting sleep take him over.
Oooooooooooooooo
When he woke the next morning, he looked down at her beautiful sleeping face and felt a twinge. For the past six month or so he felt his feelings towards her shift. He had always cared for her, ever since he helped her escape that burning house but things had changed.
He knew she had a crush on him but thought that it was just a crush, the night she had admitted that she felt something for him it took A LOT for him to hold himself back. It could be seen as wrong, it could also be seen as right, the natural progression from protector to lover, having been in his heart for years, it wasn't something new.
A frown came upon her face for a second before smoothing out as she dreamed, her head naturally turning toward him, seeking comfort. He brushed his fingertips along her jaw and smiled, having her in his arms just felt right. Her eyelashes fluttered open and he watched as her pupils dilated as they fixed on his face "Morning"
Buffy blushed when she realised how close he was and just how he was looking at her "Morning" she hid her face behind her hand and looked from behind it. She saw the corners of his mouth turn upwards into an adorable smile. She sunk underneath the duvet and bit her lip to hold back a smile of her own.
Angel smirked and brushed back hair that had fallen in front of her face "Is there anything you would like to do today before you head home tonight?" He felt his chest tighten at the thought of her heading home but she had to, she still had the last of senior year to finish.
She nuzzled against his fingers as she closed her eyes and sighed "Just spending time with you" she felt his thumb rub over her lips and she pressed a kiss before opening her eyes to look at him again. She could see less unease as he looked at her, maybe something else as well?
He nodded slowly "Well, I don't know about you but I could go some food?"
As if on cue, her stomach rumbled causing her to blush and groan at the same time "Sounds good" when he gave her a look she shook her head and sat up. Looking over her shoulder she watched as he laid back against the pillows, looking like sin incarnate. She waited a pause before grabbing her pillow and smacking him with it playfully.
Angel sat dazed for a moment before smiling and throwing the pillow back at her "Food first, Summers" he got out of bed and stretched his arms above his head and felt cracking ricochet up his spine. He watched from the side of his eye as her eyes roamed over him and smirked, he reached out for her hand and helped her get up.
Breakfast went off without a hitch and luckily no one was subjected to a pillow to the face, Buffy showered and got ready first then Angel followed after. They wrapped up warm and headed out for a long walk, wanting to enjoy each others company but also take advantage of the alone time this trip brought.
Once they grabbed some lunch and headed back to his apartment, he hurried off to his room and told her to wait where she was before she headed to the train station. Buffy began to get nervous, he looked a little nervous himself but also excited.
Angel came back through and smiled "I got you something for your birthday but I didn't want to post it, I uh, wanted to give you it in person…" he pulled out a box and handed it to her, he nodded to urge her to open it.
Buffy pried open the box and gasped "Angel, its beautiful" she looked down at the intricate cross that was hanging from the necklace and melted, it truly was beautiful and far too much "You didn't have to…" she looked up at him with tears in her eyes, it was a precious gift and clearly cost a fortune.
He shook his head "May I?" She nodded and brushed her hair to the side. He took it out the box and draped it over her neck before fixing the delicate clasp at the back. When she turned around he felt that twinge again "Beautiful…" he looked at the cross then up at her, as their eyes met he leaned down and waited a pause before Buffy got up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his.
At first the kiss was so sweet, lips barely touching but not before long his arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer. Her arms wrapped around his neck and as she sighed his tongue slipped past her lips to massage hers gently. They poured unsaid words into the kiss, hoping to convey their feelings for each other, knowing that this would be the last time they would see each other for a while.
Buffy broke the kiss and gasped, placing her head on him. She could feel the deep rise and fall of his chest and the hammering of his heart "I don't want to say goodbye" she could feel the unshed tears working their way to the surface and done her best to hold them in.
Angel stroked her back soothingly and rested his cheek against her head "I'll be home soon, I wont stay away for so long this time" he squeezed her gently and sighed. He didn't want to say goodbye either, this weekend had been great and didn't want it to end.
