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"Mom, you can't be serious!"
"It's only one night, Buffy. The Bronze will be there tomorrow," Joyce replied, rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher.
"It's not- I'm not going to the Bronze. I… have things to do," she finished, awkwardly.
Before Joyce could ask, her little sister burst through the door at top speed. She didn't bother to hang up her jacket, her bag, or anything else and nearly plowed Buffy over getting to their mother.
"Mommy!" Dawn squealed, giggling when she was embraced.
"There's my little Pumpkin Belly!" Joyce announced, cuddling her youngest. "Listen baby, mommy has to work tonight, so you're going to be staying with your sister."
"Mom, wait-"
"And you're going to be extra good for her, aren't you?" She asked her youngest, looking her directly in the eye while still keeping her eldest child in her periphery.
The thinly-veiled warning was just as much to Buffy as it was to Dawn. They chorused in agreement and even hugged, visually sealing the deal that they wouldn't kill each other. When Joyce went to go get ready, the smiles immediately gave way to an identical set of glares. By the time their mother came back, Dawn was in the living room with a book and Buffy was pacing. She kept glancing at the clock, nervously chewing on her lip.
"Dear, you're wearing a hole in the carpet," her mom said, an amused look on her face.
"I thought you were leaving?" Buffy blurted, mentally kicking herself for her outburst.
Her mom looked up from something she was writing. "Is there something I should know about? Or someone?" She asked suspiciously, giving her 'the look' to try and guilt her into telling her. As if by magic, there was a soft knocking sound on the door. Before either Buffy or Joyce could get to it, Dawn flung it open and emitted a sound loud enough for dogs to hear.
"Angel!"
"Angel?"
Buffy sighed, saying his name for the third time that night and gave him an apologetic look over her sister's shoulder. To his credit, Angel took it in stride and smiled politely at each Summers resident.
Thankfully, he'd been invited in before since Dawn took his hand and gave him no choice in the matter.
"Nice to see you again, Angel. My daughter neglected to tell me you were dropping by for a visit," Joyce said, her tone and tight smile a promise that they'd talk later about it.
"It's nice to see you too, Miss Summers. I can go if...?"
"Don't be silly. You can help babysit," she replied, smiling at Buffy, who looked like she just wanted the Hellmouth to open up and swallow her whole.
When Joyce left the room, Angel leaned in and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. Of course that was tame compared to their usual activities, but both her mom and kid sister were lurking in various areas of the house.
"I'm sorry," Buffy apologized as quietly as she could. "I wanted us to be alone tonight," she admitted, sadly.
"Hey," he tipped her face up towards him. "Don't worry about it. We'll figure it out," he assured her, glancing around before leaning in and pressing his lips to hers in a soft, sweet kiss.
As much as she wanted to deepen it, Buffy broke off their lip lock when she heard her mom's footsteps coming around the corner. The sound of jingling keys announced her upcoming departure, leaving the shelter of Angel's arms.
"I'll be right back," Buffy said softly, giving him a flirtatious little smile before disappearing into the kitchen.
Angel reluctantly let her go, going over to sit by Dawn on the couch. Before he could ask her what she was reading, she immediately curled up beside him and cuddled into his side. He smirked, looking down at her. "Personal bubble," he joked, using a phrase he'd heard Buffy say often.
"Ugh, you sound like Buffy," Dawn said, but giggled anyway.
"What are you reading?" He asked, gesturing towards her book.
"Nancy Drew," the girl said proudly. "I'm gonna be a spy someday, just like her." She rifled around in her backpack and pulled out a notebook marked PRIVATE in big, black letters. "See this? I write down everything in it."
"Why's that?"
"So I can know everything, silly," Dawn said, looking up at him with a big smile. She quickly planted a kiss on his cheek, giggled, and ran away… right into her sister. "Uh oh…"
"Dawn, what did I tell you about the kissing of my boyfriends?"
"I give Xander cheek kisses all the time," Dawn smugly, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Xander isn't my boyfriend!" Buffy screeched.
"He's a boy who's a friend. Same diff. Besides," Dawn looked over at Angel and shrugged, before turning back to her sister. "Angel's way cuter," she said matter-of-factly before disappearing upstairs.
Buffy stood there in awe of her sister's flippant attitude, clenching her fists and counting to ten in her head. Angel, who had been watching the exchange and trying not to move, speak, or otherwise draw attention to himself slowly got up from the couch and walked up behind her. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shoulder massage.
"I'm going to kill her," she said, leaning into his touch.
He gave her a small smile. "She's just a kid."
"You're only saying that 'cause she thinks you're a hottie," Buffy replied, pouting.
Angel chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist, neither confirming nor denying that. "She looks up to you." A beat, raising his brow in amusement. "A hottie?"
Buffy felt her cheeks burn. "I- well, what I meant was- coming, mom!" She called loudly, disentangling herself from his grasp and running to catch her before she left.
Joyce gave each of her girls a hug and a kiss. "I'll be back around midnight," she promised, collecting her keys and pulling her bag over her shoulder. "The number for the gallery is on the fridge. There's some money for food on the counter, Dawn's choice. Oh, and if you could please repress the urge to burn the house down, I'd appreciate that."
"Funny," Buffy replied, rolling her eyes.
"Mom," Dawn whined at the same time.
"It bears repeating," Joyce said, her tone making it clear she was serious. "Goodnight, girls. I'll see you tomorrow. Goodnight, Angel," she added, seeing him hiding around the corner.
"Goodnight, Miss Summers," he responded quietly. He was fairly comfortable around Buffy and Dawn, but he was still a little intimidated by Joyce.
Buffy watched her mom's car disappear before turning to Dawn. "Alright, brat. You heard mom. It's your turn to pick what we eat tonight," she said, ruffling her hair affectionately.
Dawn squealed and ran away from her into the kitchen, hunting down the takeout menus. Buffy took Angel's hand and led him over to the big comfy chair at the edge of the living room. He sat down and she naturally followed suit, perching herself on his lap.
"Hope you're hungry," Buffy said, laying her head on his chest.
"Hmm?"
"Knowing Dawn it's either gonna be pizza or Chinese."
"I don't usually-"
"Enough to feed an army," she said, snuggling against him.
"Right," Angel said, sighing. "I'll… make it work," he replied hesitantly.
"You'll be fine. An eggroll, maybe some rice, she'll be happy. Oh, and a fortune cookie."
"You want me to eat a fortune cookie?" Angel asked, giving her one of those lopsided smiles she liked. He knew what she meant, but couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
Buffy tried to glare at him, but the way he was staring at her made her crack a small smile. "Open a fortune cookie," she clarified, shaking her head.
She gave him a little poke, which turned into him giving her side a little tickle. Their subtle play-fighting continued until it turned into real kissing, which was then interrupted by the sound of Dawn running back into the living room. They separated so quickly Buffy nearly fell off his lap butt first, settling for leaning against the arm of the chair. As she stood up, Angel righted the button-down he was wearing and shifted so he could hide any evidence as a result of what they'd been up to.
"Hey, Dawnie! Did you figure out what you want for dinner?" Buffy asked, a little more cheerfully than she intended.
Dawn gave them both a suspicious look for a moment, making a mental note to jot down her thoughts in her notebook later. "Uh, yeah. Here," she said, handing her sister the menu. "Where's the yellow thingy?" She asked, referring to the random notepad Joyce kept for things like this.
"Is this it?" Angel asked, holding up a small legal pad.
"Yep, yep, yep!" Dawn said, happily grabbing a pen.
"You sound like Duckie," Buffy remarked, flipping through the menu.
"Duh, that's the point," Dawn replied, scribbling to make sure the pen wrote. "Do you guys know what you want?"
"I…" Angel looked helplessly at Buffy, having no clue what to order. He gave Dawn a little smile, using his charm to his advantage. "I don't really eat… a lot of takeout. Why don't you choose for me?"
"M-me? Really?" She asked, giving him a big smile. "I can totally do that!" She immediately started writing, not even having to see the menu. She took down what Buffy wanted without even asking, and then wrote her order. "Can I call?"
"A world of no," Buffy said, already dialing.
While Dawn pouted, her sister placed the order and in about a half an hour there were several cartons of Chinese food takeout containers sitting on their coffee table. Angel and Buffy sat on the couch, while Dawn took a pillow and sat on the floor. Closer to the table equals less for me to clean up, Buffy had told her.
There was a good bit of pleasant conversation during their dinner. Angel was shown different types of Chinese food by Dawn, Buffy was shown how to use chopsticks by Angel, and Buffy showed Dawn how to make her lo mein container into a plate. When everyone was sufficiently full, (or in Angel's case, tired of pretending he could taste anything) Dawn doled out the fortune cookies.
"Am I supposed to eat this?" Angel asked, giving Buffy a teasing smirk.
Dawn missed Buffy rolling her eyes, thinking he was being serious, and giggled. "No, silly! You open it and it tells you your fortune." She opened her own, getting crumbs all over the table. " 'Every flower blooms in its own sweet time.' That's pretty. What's yours, Buffy?"
" 'A short pencil is usually better than a long memory any day.' " She raised a brow. "Y'know, I'm really starting to question the people that write these." She crumpled it up and tossed it on the table. "What's yours say?" Buffy asked, leaning affectionately on Angel's arm.
Angel carefully extracted the fortune, mostly keeping the cookie intact. "'If nothing we do matters, then all that matters is what we do.' "
"Wow. That's so-"
"Weird," Dawn chimed in, snorting. "It's just the same thing twice."
"I think I'll hold onto it," Angel mumbled, folding up the fortune, and tucking it away in his pocket.
"Dawn!" Buffy scolded quietly, giving her sister a warning look. She knew Angel wouldn't take it to heart, but sometimes she really lacked manners.
"Sorry. I… well, I guess that was kinda mean," she said, looking properly chastised. She got up from her pillow-seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I like it if you like it," Dawn said, hugging him for a few minutes before releasing him.
"It's okay," he said, giving her a warm smile, and patting her arm affectionately before she let go. "I didn't understand it either," he half-fibbed. It may not have made complete sense at the time, but something told him to save it for a rainy day.
"Hey, messy girl. Help clean up or go get ready for bed," Buffy said, nudging her with her foot. "Is it bath night?"
"Can't I just skip it?"
"And have mom wig on me ? Nice try," she said, gathering some of the food containers and taking them into the kitchen.
"I'm not that dirty," Dawn muttered, huffing in her direction.
"The flies gathering around you tell a different story," Buffy sing-songed, poking her in the ribs.
"Hey!" She meant to sound annoyed, but ended up giggling instead. She kept doing so as Buffy chased her to the edge of the steps with various pokes and prods. "No fair, that tickles!"
"That's all the maggots living in your clothes," she responded, continuing to follow her. "Ready to take a bath yet?"
Dawn squealed, leaping away from her. "Ew!"
Buffy watched in amusement as Dawn ran top speed to her room, slammed various dresser drawers, and finally stuck her tongue out at her before slamming the door to the bathroom. Snickering to herself and mentally patting herself on the back for her sistering skills, she wandered back into the living room where Angel was giving her a funny expression.
"Maggots?" He asked, raising a brow, and trying to hide his amusement.
"It worked, didn't it?" Buffy replied, giving him a guilty smile. She gathered up the rest of the takeout boxes and headed towards the kitchen.
"You're better with her than you think," Angel observed, picking up all the silverware, sauces, and napkins Buffy left behind. He followed her into the kitchen, setting his haul down on the counter.
"Self-preservation," she admitted, popping a stray spring roll into her mouth. "Mom would kill me if she skipped her bath."
Angel gave her a little smile, knowing she was just being modest. He had been watching their interactions together all night, even more closely than he let on. It was partially because Dawn reminded him of his little sister, but he had to admit their banter was pretty funny at times. He honed in on the sound of the water running upstairs, wondering how much time they had before Dawn would make an appearance again.
No time like the present.
As Buffy started to put plastic wrap over the containers, she felt Angel suddenly appear behind her. She had to admit, the way he could move without being noticed was kind of a turn on. "Hi," she said casually, using a Sharpie to mark what each box was. When he answered her by nuzzling her neck, a quiet moan slipped out. "Angel…"
"Hmm?"
"I have to put the food away," Buffy replied breathily, not really concerned if her sesame chicken ended up in space at this point.
"I'm not stopping you," he murmured, softly kissing her shoulder.
Buffy thought about that for a moment, turning to face him. She pulled him down for a kiss that turned heated a lot sooner than she anticipated. She felt her back hit the counter, ready herself to be hoisted up on it. She was mid-hoist when they both heard the squeak of the water being turned off.
She slid right back down onto her feet, groaning into his chest. Not that they planned on doing anything that wasn't considered PG-13, but past experience taught her to be on her best behavior when her sister was around. After everything was put away and the living room was returned to its former state, she and Angel made it a point to keep their distance until Dawn went to bed.
"Everything better be kid-friendly down there!" Dawn yelled, running across the hall to grab her after-bath things.
Buffy muttered something decidedly not kid-friendly, making Angel raise a brow. "What? She's not down here yet," she reasoned, with a shrug.
Before he could reply, Dawn bounded down the stairs with a bottle of detangler and a brush. "I'm ready!" She announced, sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of Buffy.
"Braids tonight?" She asked, spritzing the leave-in conditioner over Dawn's long hair.
"Yep, yep, yep!"
"Again with the Duckie," Buffy muttered to herself, a smile on her face despite her sister's childish antics.
Dawn caught Angel watching them out of the corner of her eye and smiled proudly. "Buffy is the best hair brusher. She never pulls and always does something cool with it."
"If I don't, you'll have a rat's nest," Buffy snarked affectionately, blushing a little at the compliment.
"I'll keep that in mind," Angel joked, secretly enjoying the slight pinkening of Buffy's cheeks. He watched as she worked, enjoying the way she weaved the style together. "My sister liked braids too," he offered quietly, giving her a little smile.
"You have a sister?" Dawn asked, wondering if they were the same age.
"I used to," he replied, now wondering if he should have kept quiet.
"What happened to her?"
"She… got sick. She's in Heaven, I think," Angel said slowly, not wanting to scare her.
"I'm sorry," Dawn said seriously, sadness showing in her eyes. "What was her name?"
"Kathy. She had dark hair, like you," he added hastily, trying to veer away from the subject of death.
"Was it long like mine too?" Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.
Angel nodded, gesturing towards one of her braids. "My mother tried to teach me how," he chuckled a little. "I wasn't very good."
"You just need to practice," Dawn said, in a matter-of-fact tone. "It makes perfect! That's what my teacher says, anyway." She rolled her eyes up toward her sister. "Are you almost done?"
"Fon't ruf da fyrist," Buffy said, trying to talk through the hair tie between her lips. She made a few more weaves and secured the bottom. "Aaaand… done! Go find a mirror and tell me what you think." She already knew she would love them, but it gave her a small sense of pride to see Dawn's face light up in awe.
Dawn made what Buffy liked to describe as her squee! noise and jumped up from the floor. She scrambled to find the nearest mirror, gasping at her reflection. "Pretty!" The French-style pigtail braids curved behind her arms and came to rest on her shoulders. "Do you think it'll be all curly when I take them out?"
Buffy nodded. "You'll give Felicity a run for her money, trust me," she quipped, still beaming. "Go get in bed. I'll be up in a minute to tuck you in."
"Will… can Angel come too?" She asked, feeling a little shy all of a sudden. "And… and maybe read me a story?"
"Dawnie, I don't think-"
"I'll come up with Buffy," he agreed, giving her a little smile.
Another squee! noise and Dawn flew up the steps, leaving Buffy laughing a little. "Oh, God… I'm sorry," she replied, shaking her head. "I know this probably isn't the highlight of our evening. You really don't have to."
"I don't mind," Angel admitted, a sheepish look crossing his features. "It's been a long time since I've been- since I've done that," he amended quietly, standing up and walking over to her. He put a hand to her lower back, rubbing little circles into it in a soothing manner.
"I guess it would be," Buffy replied quietly, for lack of anything better to say. "Well, um, then I guess we should go upstairs," she announced, glancing up at him.
"Lead the way," he said, giving her one of his trademark half-smiles.
When they got up to Dawn's room she already had a book picked out and was writing in her spy journal. She gestured to the novel at the foot of the bed, finishing what she was writing. As soon as she was done they all made themselves comfy; Buffy on one side and Angel on the other with Dawn in the middle.
"Angel, can you read it?"
Buffy glanced at the title of the book, raising a brow. "You're gonna make my boyfriend read you Nancy Drew?" She asked in disbelief.
"It's not like he's reading your Sweet Valley High books," Dawn shot back, smirking when Buffy glared. "I couldn't find my Hardy Boys ones."
"If you cleaned your room once in a while…"
Dawn scowled at her, but said nothing. She cuddled up to Angel, listening to him read; if cartoon hearts could have shown in her eyes, they would have. Before he even got to the second chapter, she was fast asleep and snoring quietly against his chest. Buffy carefully extracted herself, making sure she didn't disturb her. She turned on her nightlight and made sure her window was locked.
Angel carefully set the book down on her nightstand, attempting to remove himself. When he met resistance, he looked up to see Buffy giving him an amused expression. He shifted a little, but made no progress. "I think I'm stuck," he whispered, unsure how to move without disturbing the child presently attached to him.
"Welcome to my world," Buffy quipped, clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle her giggles.
"A little help?" he pleaded, giving her his best puppy dog eyes. To his horror, she turned around, and headed for the door. "Buffy!" He whisper-shouted her name, hoping she wouldn't actually leave him there.
"I was only kidding," she replied, scooping Dawn up, and quickly sliding her under the covers. After shutting her door and finally making it out into the hall, Buffy turned to face an unamused Angel. "Oh, come on. I would have come back for you… in the morning," she admitted, an impish grin on her face.
"You're a funny girl," he responded wryly, his smirk giving him away, as he pulled her closer.
"Aww, my poor Angel," Buffy cooed, running her fingers through his spiky hair. "There must be some way I can make it up to you…" She glanced up at him through her eyelashes, giving him a flirtatious smile.
"Mm, I can think of a few ways," Angel said, in a gravelly whisper.
They made it across the hall to Buffy's bedroom, collapsing on her bed in a passionate embrace. About ten minutes of over-the-clothes petting, fingers tangled in hair, and names moaned softly before any clothing was lost. Buffy unfastened the buttons on Angel's shirt and slid it off his shoulders at the same time he was inching her top up her stomach. He was just starting to trail a gentle line of kisses down to her navel when they both heard the click of a lamp being turned on.
"Buf-fy, I can't sleep! Can we read another chapter?"