Title: To Be Cuddly Or Not To Be Cuddly
Author: Frazi
Posted:
Email
Rating:PG
Category:Humour
Content:A/C
Summary: Season one Angel and the case of the wet feet.
Spoilers: Season 1, nothing specific.
Disclaimer: The characters in the Angelverse were created by Joss Whedon & David Greenwalt. No infringement is intended, no profit is made.
Distribution:By all means just tell me where? GTC/A, Stranger Things, AO is a given.
Notes: I wrote this at one in the morning, but I couldn’t put it down until it was finished. I was inspired by something I read a while ago and it kinda stuck
Thanks/Dedication: This one is for Cali whom I promised C/Aus smut but can’t seem to find it on my horribly disorganized hard drive. This one’s for you babe. Luvs!!!
Feedback:Like breathing air
It was pissing down. Welcome to Sunny California indeed. What I wouldn’t give to be in Honolulu on a beach chair with the sun shining down on my gorgeous bikini clad body.
I mean hello, has anyone SEEN the lack of sun lately. Everything’s been gray, wet and wrinkly the past week. God has opened the flood gates of hell and decided to wash us away for our sins. I wonder what grave sin I’ve committed this week? Hmmm?
Does spiking a vampire’s blood count?
I mean it was just cinnamon. And it tastes nasty enough on its own without the added bit of spice.
Yes. I tasted it with the tip of my tongue and that was only because I’ve seen the vampire inhale it without so much as a breath and it must reek considering its old blood and all which then prompted me into making a deal with the local blood bank, the guy was such a hottie, but the point is I did it for my big boss man because he needs a perk up now and then.
Take that mother Teresa!
Hmmm, my thoughts need more punctuation I know but it’s hard to stop talking about all things Angel and find full stops. I mean the guy is such a vast ocean of discoveries.
Pfft. I’m going off the track, which isn’t surprising considering I’m standing on the side of the street staring up at our office building while the clouds are crying on the only branded jacket left in my wardrobe.
Oh god, I need to sweet-talk my boss into giving me a raise one of these days. That way when I have nightmares and need to run to the shelter of his kindness I can wear something I’m not afraid to drip in.
Few cars were on the road and the rain fell in sheets as I took out my key, stepped into the building and made my way into the office. Standing on our welcome mat I shook myself, the icy water spraying a halo around me.
With a shiver I rubbed my arms and took off my wet jacket, and plucked it onto the wooden chair before padding silently into the elevator and below.
Although the office had one solitary bulb burning, the basement which housed our resident vampire was pitch-dark. And just my luck that the elevator door closed behind me and I stood there one foot raised in my attempt to move further and froze.
There was a stirring across the room and it wasn’t unexpected. There was little you could put past Angel’s super vampire hearing. Or it could be the very loud ‘owie’ as I smacked into the back of his couch.
“Cordelia?”
“Er…hi?”
The bedside lamp switched on and the shirtless vampire blinked at me from his bed, twisted around as if he’d been lying on his stomach. There was a frown on his face that implied he’d seen the rained out beauty that was me.
Hey even wet I’m wow, okay? “What are you doing?”
My smarty pants vampire. Always asking the obvious. What does it look like? I’m sneaking into his room when I’m all wet….okay that didn’t sound right. I’m just sneaking into his room and I just happen to be…
oh bother. I’m tired and wet and in need of cuddling. Not that Angel’s the cuddling type. But I know his cuddle will be very good. I mean have you SEEN him?
He’s cuddly because my cuddly radar is always on ‘hug’ mode. “Doing?”
He sat up in the bed, the sheet falling in his lap and he raised an eyebrow. “You’re dripping on my floor?”
Indeed. “I had a bad dream?”
There was a pause while he blinked at me in bewilderment. What like he’s slow or something? Bad dream equates to long walk to the nearest comfortable object, in this case the manpire in question. He took in the complete drippiness of my favorite blue jammies with those little white hearts and the fluffy slippers that were now droopy and distorted.
Then they stuck on the object in my arms. Oh yeah. There is Snuffy.
Snuffy is a left over memory of days when I actually had a childhood. And it’s not like I’m not a completely emancipated or grown woman, it’s just that Snuffy is the cutest little white bunny with big floppy ears and I feel really bad throwing it away. So I keep him with me.
When I sleep. So he’s not lonely. So it won’t hate me.
I was still debating the existence of Snuffy when he let out a long sigh. “Come in.”
With a sheepish smile and reassuring hug for Snuffy I stepped into his room. “Hi. Did I wake you?”
“I try and keep human timings.” He ran a hand through his bedraggled hair. He looked up at me as I hovered beside his bed like a higher being that I wasn’t until he crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Can I get in?”
“How did you get in? Did Doyle let you in?”
“Oh no. I thought he’d be asleep.”
His mouth twisted in a bitter scowl. “So was I.”
I frowned at him. What was that supposed to mean? “So? Can I get in?”
“Cordelia.” He met my eyes as if he was explaining something to a two year old. “You’re all wet.”
“Well duh! It’s raining outside Angel.”
He opened his mouth, then changed his mind altogether and turned onto his back and vacated half the bed without a word. With a wide grin, I lifted the cover, and I’d like to add that he was wearing pajama bottoms you sick perverted freaks,
I slid into his bed and snuggled under the surprisingly warm covers. But his mattress is so hard. Not squishy and comfy like mine even though I got it on sale. So I twisted and turned and flopped onto my back. Then turned onto my stomach.
“OOF!!!” Oh that was my knee in his back.
“Ooops. Sorry.”
He grunted in reply and tried to give me more room. He’s such a sweetheart I swear. Or maybe he was trying not to get kneed again. Hmph. Bed hogger. But the pillow was so lumpy.
“I have no idea how you sleep here. Angel, you really need to experience the bed that is mine. Seriously. You’d never want to leave.”
He turned his head and gave me an incredulous look over one bare shoulder as I lay there on my back staring up at his dull ceiling. “Your bed?”
“It’s incredibly comfy.”
I guess he was slow tonight because it took him a moment to find his voice. “Why then are you not in it?”
I wrinkled my nose. “What, are you slower today? I said it was a bad dream.” Muttering various complaints I continued to twitch as I lay on my back.
Angel let out a lamenting breath. “Do you want to talk about your dream?”
“Not much; no. Well. Good night.”
“Night.” He rolled back and settled.
I tried. Really. All four minutes I lay perfectly still and then I rolled, but then Snuffy slid off the bed and I had to lean over to pick him up and I didn’t mean to stick my foot against his butt. It would have been embarrassing if it was deliberate.
“Poor snuffy.”
There was an unintelligable snort before I rubbed my feet together trying to find feeling in my toes. Hmmm. When my foot had encountered his butt there had been definite warmth there and I was human unlike him.
Cold was natural for him. Me? I’d die of hypothermia in the middle of summer. It would be unthinkable!
“Aaaaaiiiii! Cordeeeeeelia!” His head snapped back, brown eyes wide and I gave him my sweetest smile.
“My feet are cold. Do you mind?”
I could have imagined it but I can swear I heard a no before he nodded his head and settled back down to sleep. Oh and I’d like to state for statistical purposes that my feet love the very warm spot just above his knees.
Awww. I was feeling a rush of affection for this manpire. He was so sweet. Really he was. Accommodating both my Snuffy and my feet because hello: I’m so a given with him. “I hate to sleep alone.”
“I love to sleep alone,” he muttered dryly.
I frowned at his back. “Are you mad at me?”
There was a decidedly painful moan or it could have been a whimper but my vampire is too manly for a whimper so moan then. “No Cordelia, I’m not mad at you. I’ve battled some really nasty demons and it’s nearly four in the morning. I’d like to get some shut-eye.”
“Hello! I know about the demons. Did I not do a super job at patching you up?”
“Patching that I did not need.”
“Pffft! I could like see your kidneys. Super?”
“Yes Cordelia. Super.” He sighed again. Really. Sighed. As if he even needs to; considering he doesn’t even breathe. He’s so accommodating really. Being all breathe-y so I wouldn’t feel like such a human.
Sweet guy. Really. “Can we sleep now?”
“Okay!” I smiled brightly. I mean for his sake I could try to sleep at least. Now that my feet were warm. “Night Angel.”
“Goodnight Cordelia.”
“Say good night to Snuffy.”
Did he just growl, I wonder? But then I heard the mutter. “Good night Snuffy.”
And we both settled in for some sleep. And I didn’t twist. But there was a problem. At the angle my legs were I was sure I’d get a cramp unless I moved over a bit. So I scooted over until my icy nose pressed into the middle of his back and I snuggled against him.
There was a sharp intake of breath and I frowned as he pulled away slightly. “Cordy?”
“Mmmm?” I was drifting. How dare he call my name?
“You’re still wet.”
“Mmmm.”
“Could you ah…move?”
“Nope.” I slid my arm around his waist and snuggled closer pressed against the length of his big warm body. Warm considering I’d walked in from the rain. It was a good ten minutes before the muscles relaxed under my touch and when they did I smiled against his skin and planted a thank you kiss right between his shoulder blades.
“I knew you’d be cuddly.”
Did she say cuddly? Angel wanted to balk at her conclusion, but the room had fallen silent and sleep crept up to him like a thief and stole his demons.
End