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Disclaimer: I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. They ain’t mine. Well, the ones you recognize from Buffy. I own Katrina and all the salespeople. Buffy, Angel, the Scooby Gang, and Joyce all belong to Joss Whedon (who I’m suing for custody, I’d take much better care of them), and everyone else.
Author’s Notes: This is the second story in my fluff series. Fluff, not angst. Surprised? Me too!! Sorry it’s taken so long, I’ve been taking finals and all that good stuff. This is set in my own universe, it follows my ‘Another Chance’ trilogy and ‘House Hunting 101.’ Read those first, this’ll make more sense if you do. Feedback is always welcome!!!!
Buffy and Angel stood in their new house, gazing around intently. It had been three days since Angel had purchased it and already Buffy was ready to shop for it. Only three days and she wanted to shop...
“Okay, let’s get this over with,” Angel grumbled as they walked through the now almost-bare house. Mrs. Kalish’s ugly ‘70s furniture had been removed and the house seemed somewhat dreary with nothing in it. The only thing they had kept was the furniture for the two guest bedrooms upstairs and the desk and chairs that had been in the office. And the pool table, they had both agreed it would stay. Buffy had complained about the upstairs sets, saying they were hideous and that she wanted to sacrifice them to the furniture gods, but Angel had kept them. In actuality they weren’t bad, they just needed to re-carpet and paint all three rooms.
Angel pulled a pad of paper and a pen out of his pocket and began scribbling down everything Buffy was saying they needed. His eyes grew large as he looked at the long list and wondered where he was going to come up with the money for it all. Sure, he had about half a million put away, but at the rate Buffy was going they’d be sleeping on the floor and eating with plastic silverware.
“Couch, love seat, recliner, TV, VCR, stereo, lamps, coffee table, end tables...” she droned on as they walked through the living room. “Carpet we’ll keep, I like the color,” she said, indicating the pale sky blue rug. Angel nodded, it was pretty. They had to do something about the walls, though...
“Oh, that reminds me. Do you want the TV to be up here or downstairs in the basement? See, I was thinking that we could get all old comfy furniture for down there...Angel, are you listening to me?” the Slayer demanded. Angel snapped to attention.
“Whatever you want to do is fine,” he said smoothly, pulling her in for a soft kiss. She responded eagerly, standing on tiptoe to get closer. Angel ran his hand through her blond hair when it ended. “Love you,” he muttered as he kissed her again.
“Love you more,” she teased as she pulled away. “C’mon, we’d better go now or else I don’t know if I’ll be able to leave,” she winked at him before turning around and bounding out the front door. Angel groaned and quickly followed, wrapping his arms around her and making little sucking motions on her neck. She giggled as they stepped outside and Angel released her to lock up.
“Are you sure you want to leave? ‘Cause I can think of some things we can do if we stay,” he grinned as she swatted his arm. He gave her a smile and looked at his front door in amazement. “We own a house. Together. As in you and me. We’re of the home owning class of America,” he said in awe. She giggled and nodded.
“Freaky, huh?” she asked as she grabbed his hand and pulled him down the steps and across the lawn. Joyce Summers and Katrina stood on the porch with smiles on their faces. They walked down the steps to meet the couple on the walkway.
“Ready to face the hell that is shopping for your house?” Joyce laughed as they headed for the car. Joyce was driving them to the mall and she and Katrina were going shopping. Buffy was glad to see her mom with a close friend, she hadn’t had any since they had left L.A.
“Any advice?” Angel asked.
“Well, it’s hard because you don’t really know what the house likes, and you can’t just buy it a gift certificate and let it pick out whatever it wants,” she joked. Angel cracked a smile, feeling more and more nervous as they got closer. This was all new to him, they had carved their own furniture back in Ireland.
The ride to the shopping complex was relatively quiet. “Angel, isn’t this exciting?” Buffy squealed. He gave her a look.
“As long as there are no annoying or weird salespeople around like that real estate lady, yeah, it will be,” Angel said. He was scarred from that woman and her ‘wonderful’ crap. Buffy looked at Angel strangely, not understanding why he wasn’t excited about shopping. It was so much fun!!
“Just don’t look like you need help, they’ll pounce on you like vampires at a blood bank,” Katrina said from the front seat. Angel nodded.
They arrived and Joyce dropped Buffy and Angel off at the Sunnydale Furniture Outlet. She took his hand and practically ran into the store, dragging her reluctant boyfriend behind her. A blast of cool air hit their faces as they entered the warehouse and Angel stared with big eye. Buffy saw him staring in shock and laughed.
“Honey, it isn’t polite to stare,” she giggled. “Haven’t you ever been in a furniture warehouse before?”
Angel shook his head. “We made our own,” he said simply.
“Right, I forgot. B.M.P.,” she grinned. He looked at her, confused. “Before mass production,” she elaborated as she dragged him over to the living room sets. “Start looking,” she said as they began to roam through the different displays. A geeky teen with raging red hair and buck teeth complete with braces approached them looking anxious.
“C-ca...can I-I help you?” he stuttered. Buffy and Angel looked at each other, than back at the boy.
“No, we’re good, thanks,” she replied sweetly.
“Are-are you sure? B-b-b-because my manager said I have to help an-and if I don’t I’ll get fired,” he said nervously. Buffy gave him a sympathetic smile.
“It’s okay, we’re fine. Thanks, though,” she said as she and Angel beat a hasty retreat. The employee just stood looking after them, twisting him hands.
“That was...interesting,” she commented as they slowed to a walk. “Angel, smile.”
“I can’t,” he said. “This isn’t fun.”
She pouted, then her face contorted into evil grin. “I can make it fun,” she said in a sexy voice, causing him to perk up.
“How?” he asked.
“You have fun--for my sake--and I’ll...” she proceeded to lean forward and whisper in his ear. His eyes bulged as she giggled.
“Deal,” he said simply.
“Good. Now come one, start looking!”
“Do you like this?” Angel asked. She wrinkled her nose at the green couch. “I’ll take that as a no...”
“What about this?” she questioned, pointing to a purple one. Angel shook his head in disgust.
“How many people do you know that have *purple* couches?” Angel asked. She blushed.
“Well, none, but we could be different,” she said hopefully. Angel shook his head.
“And have to listen to Cordelia complain every time she comes over? I’ll pass,” he said.
“I suddenly see your point,” she said, wincing at what she knew Cordy would say.
This was going to take a while.
For a half hour they looked at display after display. They couldn’t agree on a thing. They came to the last one and nodded, having found what they were looking for.
The couch, love seat, and recliner were all a light shade of gray. There were white specs in them, too. The two end tables had glass centers, as did the coffee table. They were made of a light oak and had designs running up and down the legs. Buffy looked up at her boyfriend and smiled.
“The carpet will go with the furniture and we can paint the walls to match it,” she said as she sat down on the recliner, testing it. It was soft and comfortable, the cushions giving way easily. Angel nodded, imagining the room as it would look with paint and furniture. A saleswoman that had been passing by overheard them and stopped.
“You want this?” she asked, startling the couple. They nodded and she smiled, revealing a mouth full of gaps where teeth normally were. She had loaded on the makeup and looked rather scary. She whipped out a clipboard and gave it to Angel. “Fill this out with the numbers and give it to the cashier when you’re done,” she said as she handed over the clipboard and a pen. “My name’s Sheila, in case you need anything,” she called over her shoulder as she continued on her way.
“You jinxed us,” she told Angel as they stared after her. He looked at her. “In the car. You said something like ‘as long as we don’t get any annoying or weird salesmen.’ That woman was screaming for attention.”
Angel took down the information they needed and they moved on to the dinette sets. Kitchens were located with them, making it easier for people to choose the same patterns. The one they chose wasn’t hard to find, it matched the living room perfectly. The chairs and table for the dining room were the same oak and had the same designs. The chairs had gray cushions on them and a china closet and dry sink were included. The kitchen had the same table, only it was smaller and the top of it was covered with white tiles. The chairs were less ornate than the dining room ones.
Angel took down everything they needed after they had both agreed on it. He wrapped his arms around Buffy as they walked to the bedroom displays. Angel kissed the top of her and she smiled.
“Having fun now?” she grinned wickedly. He nodded.
“Sure, I guess. This isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but the sooner we get this over with the sooner we can move in together. And the sooner you’ll keep your promise,” he said slyly. She nodded and suddenly stopped in her tracks. Angel bumped into her and looked down, worried he had hurt her. She stared ahead and he followed her gaze to see what had caught her attention.
A beautifully ornate bedroom set stood before them, the bed cherry oak with four tall posts. Sheer red material hung down from the posts and draped over the top of the bed to create a canopy. Red and black satin sheets and pillows covered the bed, and a matching vanity and two dresser accompanied it.
“We are *so* getting that bed,” she said firmly. Angel agreed, it was absolutely gorgeous, like something out of the movies. That settled, they moved on to accessories for the house. Angel’s mind was on the bed they would share and he was fantasizing about it as Buffy picked out bathroom towels, curtains, and shower curtains. He nodded blindly at her choices, a white curtain with yellow and blue stripes and matching towels for downstairs. For upstairs she chose a white curtain with clear material over it, crescent moons with faces and stars littering the clear piece. The towels matched the curtain, they were black with the pattern. The curtains matched the patterns of the towels. For the other bathroom on the upstairs floor, Buffy picked out rose colored towels and curtains.
“And so then there was Chris, who I bore a daughter for. She is currently being raised by Buddhist monks in Tibet--”
“What?” Angel asked, his attention focused once again on his love. She grinned wickedly.
“That got your attention,” she said as she reached up to kiss him. “You were off in la-la-land. Glad to see you caught the next shuttle back to Earth.”
Angel laughed, knowing he deserved it. His mind had been on the bed and all the things they could do...
They picked out funky lamps and some candle holders for the rooms. Angel put all their purchases on his Gold Card and Buffy winced when she saw the total. Five digit number. Angel shrugged.
“I’ve got some extra money lying around,” he said simply when she questioned him on it.
Angel had arranged for delivery the next week and carried the smaller things, like the bathroom items, out to the Summers’ car. He was thankful Buffy still had a week off from school, it was only Friday and she still had another whole week. He wanted them moved into the house before she had to go back.
Hand in hand they walked to the Sears down the block. Huge red signs announced they were going out of business and that everything was marked down.
Angel and Buffy found a forty inch TV that was half priced. As they admired it, a man with a red tie came up to them and began speaking in rapid fire English with a strange accent.
“This TV come loaded with picture in picture, surround sound, timers, clear resolution. Separate surround sound system be included for a low price. The stand separate but it marked down fifty percent. You can buy different case if you want stereo, we still have those in stock,” he said in one breath. Buffy and Angel stared at him with wide eyes. Finally, after their brains had processed what he had said Angel nodded.
“Sounds good,” he said hesitantly. Why did they always get the crazy ones?
The next hour consisted of finding a stereo, VCR, washing machine and dryer, refrigerator, stove, and all the other appliances the kitchen needed. They bought a few more lamps and three phones, two portables and one regular. The salesman, who’s name was Bob, followed them everywhere, suggesting they look at this and that.
“What I wouldn’t give for my game face right about now...” Angel said menacingly.
Finally they had everything they needed. A silverware pattern had been picked out, along with glasses and plates. As Angel filled out the necessary paperwork Buffy spotted a photo booth. Her mind twisted wickedly and she went over to it, depositing her money and stepping inside. As Angel came over to her she tucked the pictures into her shoulder bag and smiled sweetly.
“Lemme see,” he said reaching for her bag. The look on her face was making him very suspicious.
“Uh uh. Not yet, anyway,” she said secretively. Angel groaned.
“Why do I have a bad feeling about the?” Angel muttered as he kissed his girlfriend. She shrugged, feigning innocence.
They carried their bags out to the car and went into the mall. After lunch, which they mostly spent looking into each other’s eyes, they went to the hardware store for paint. They wandered, picking up little odds and ends such as movies, CDs, some candles, and a few paintings. Joyce was giving them some artwork, and Angel had some stored away that hadn’t been destroyed in the fire at his apartment. He dragged Buffy into an Oriental store and they left with a screen, some fans for the bedroom wall, a beautiful rug for the dining room, and one of those little gardens that has a fountain running through it.
Having purchased everything on their list, they wandered around hand in hand. They found a bench and sat down wearily. Buffy snuggled up to Angel as they watched the people go by.
“How much stuff did we buy today?” she asked, yawning. He shrugged.
“Enough to make me bankrupt,” he joked, causing her to smile.
“Thanks, Angel, for everything,” she said as she looked up at him. “And for letting me move in with you.”
He gave her a long, sensual kiss that took her breath away. “My pleasure.”
“Yeah, it’s always about your pleasure, isn’t it?” she teased. He looked down at her, pretending to be hurt. “Aw, I’m sorry. You know I love you,” she said in a little girl voice. Angel would have none of it and pulled his arm from off her shoulder. He sat up straight and crossed his arms, looking the other way and trying hard not to burst out laughing. Buffy rolled her eyes and did the same.
“Two can play at this game, honey. Remember what I promised you? I don’t have to do it if I don’t want to,” she threatened. He groaned and looked at her, his pretend anger melting away.
“I’m sorry, baby. I didn’t mean it,” he said. She ignored him and turned her head the other way. He brought his fingers up to her face and turned it delicately towards his, placing a soft kiss on her lips. She kept it up for about three seconds, then responded eagerly and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Isn’t that illegal?” a voice said. They broke off to see Joyce and Katrina smiling at them. Buffy wiped the corners of her mouth to make sure her lipstick hadn’t smudged and grinned back at them.
“Did you have fun?” she asked. Joyce and Katrina nodded.
“Yes, there was a great sale at Gantos. I got some new clothes for the gallery. And you?” Joyce said, eying the many bags they had.
“Angel probably maxed out his credit cards on everything we bought,” Buffy replied.
“Did you get everything you wanted?” Katrina asked, sipping her soda.
“Pretty much, we have to go paint the house now before the furniture comes on Tuesday. We decided to keep the carpets because they aren’t that bad and the appliances were all shot so we had to get new ones,” Angel said. They stood and gathered their packages and lugged them out to the car.
They stopped at an antique store on the way home and found a beautiful old mirror and table for the foyer. There was another mirror for the living room and an old vase for flowers among all the old junk. They also bought an old trunk to sit at the foot of the bed.
Several hours and lots of money later, Buffy and Angel ended up on her couch making out. Joyce had to go check up on the gallery and Katrina had gone to speak with Giles about something. The TV blared in the background, not that they were paying much attention to it or anything. The phone rang as Buffy pulled Angel’s shirt out of his waistband and she groaned but detached herself from Angel’s lips to answer it.
“Hello?” she answered.
“Hey, it’s me,” Willow’s voice responded cheerfully on the other line. Buffy smiled then shivered as Angel began to kiss her neck.
“Hiya, Will. What’s up?” Buffy asked breathlessly, Angel was totally distracting her.
“Not much, just wanted to see how the shopping was. Did you get lots of cool stuff?” Willow asked.
“Yeah, we...we did,” Buffy said with difficulty. She tried to push Angel away but he just moved her hair aside to give him better access to her ear lobe. She moaned.
“You okay?” Willow asked, concerned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. The guy on TV...made a bad joke,” she said lamely. “It was about chickens attacking...other chickens.”
Willow laughed. “I’ll let you get your attention back to Angel’s sucking,” she said slyly. Buffy gasped.
“You could tell?” she squeaked.
“The noises gave it away. Talk to you tomorrow,” she said and hung up. Buffy stared at the phone before hanging it up.
“You were noisy, you know. Willow heard you,” Buffy said as he blew cool air on her neck. She shivered again.
“My bad,” he said simply, kissing it again. Buffy pulled his head up to hers and kissed him hungrily.
“I forgive you, though,” she mumbled into his lips. The front door opened as Angel was about to explore under Buffy’s shirt and they pulled away and flew to opposite sides of the couch, fixing hair and wiping off lipstick. Joyce entered to find them sitting rigidly, their eyes glued to the TV.
“Hi, you two, Anything good on?” she asked as she set her purse down. They shook their heads. “What’re you watching?”
20/20 was blaring in the background, but Buffy and Angel hadn’t paid it any mind.
“Some movie,” Angel said.
“Felicity,” Buffy said at the exact same moment.
“Really? ‘Cause it looks like 20/20 to me. Honey, next time pull your hair over your neck to hide the huge hickey that you now have,” she laughed and walked into the kitchen as Buffy’s face burned. When she was gone they both relaxed.
“Is it really that bad?” Buffy asked Angel worriedly, a hand straying up to touch the area. He moved her hair and looked closely.
“It’s gonna take about two bottles of foundation to hide,” he grinned and moved to suck on it again. Buffy turned off the TV and led Angel up to her room, yelling good night to her mother. They couldn’t be loud, but they had pretty much mastered being quiet.
The next day the Scooby Gang assembled at the house. Buffy had called them all to help paint the rooms and they arrived bright and early, ready to work.
“Are we gonna get dirty?” Cordelia whined as they stood pouring paint into the trays and gathering brushes. Not wanting to get any of her clothes dirty, she had borrowed an old shirt and a pair of pants from Xander. She complained that they were too big and that the shirt did nothing for her complexion. They all ignored her after a minute.
“Yes, Cordelia, you usually get paint on you, but you’re not ruining your fabulous designer wardrobe, you’re ruining my clothes. That should make you feel better,” her boyfriend said as they began to drape drop clothes on the floor to protect the carpet. Buffy and Angel had decided to paint the walls sky blue and go over them with gray and white paint. Buffy had picked up a Wall Magic kit and wanted to use it with the gray and white so the blue would still be visible. She had said it would look like they were in the sky.
“Here Cordy, just stroke the brush up and down on the wall. You could use the practice,” Xander quipped as he handed her a brush heavy with paint. She sent an icy look in his direction.
“No, Xander, you need the practice,” she retorted.
“Xander and Cordelia, round one,” Buffy muttered under her breath as they began to paint. The stereo was blaring from the dining room and Buffy began singing along with it. ‘The Boy Is Mine’ was the current song playing and Cordelia joined in. They each sang a different part, Cordy did Brandy’s and Buffy did Monica’s. They danced around, paint brushed flailing. Buffy managed to get Angel’s cheek, but only because she drew the paint brush over it lightly while she sang. At the end, they all clapped.
The next few hours were spent finishing the living room and starting in on the dining room. The once-avocado walls became gray and white to match the chairs and table. Everyone was paint splattered as they sat outside on the patio, eating pizza and taking a break.
“When’re you guys gonna get the pool done?” Cordelia asked as she took a bite of her pizza. Buffy, sitting comfortably on Angel’s lap, shrugged.
“When Buffy goes back to school and I get a job,” Angel replied as Buffy offered him some soda. They had found lawn furniture in the storage room downstairs and dragged it outside. A picnic table also sat on the patio, facing the oval pool.
“You’re getting a job?” Cordelia asked, wrinkling her nose. “Why? I thought you were like a millionaire or something.”
“I’d get bored here all day long with nothing to do. Joyce and Giles are gonna help me look,” Angel replied.
“Bored...” she said, shaking her head. “He’s gonna get a job because he’d be bored.”
The afternoon found them painting the kitchen a creamy color, the office a sand color, and the upstairs bedroom red with the light white and gray swirls covering it. The stairway was painted cream also, and the downstairs bathroom was going to be wallpapered. They were leaving the two guest rooms for the time being. The master bathroom upstairs was painted a very pale purple. They had split up, each couple taking a different section once the big rooms were done. Buffy and Angel ended up in their bathroom, painting when they weren’t kissing.
“Hey,” Xander called from the door. “Don’t you need to come up for oxygen?”
They laughed and looked at him. He and Cordelia had finished the other upstairs bathroom, which had been painted a light turquoise color. They helped Buffy and Angel finish up and then began to clean up. The house reeked of paint, giving them all huge headaches. They left everything where it was and closed up the paints. The windows were all opened and the security system was turned on before they all went back to the Summers’ for dinner.
Buffy and Angel again sat on the couch that night, gazing out the window into their home. “We did it,” she said as she yawned and stretched. Angel tickled the skin she revealed on her stomach and she recoiled and giggled.
“Everything’s coming on Tuesday,” he said as he pulled her close for a kiss. “I’m having warehouse send some guys along so they can help us set everything up. We’ll need to get food and stuff for them,” Angel said as he rubbed his eyes. Buffy nodded.
“Yay, I get to play hostess. Maybe they’ll all be really hot. Everyone’s coming over, too. They want to see ‘if we have any sense at all.’ Actually, just Cordy said that.”
“What do you say, beach tomorrow? Give you a little vacation,” Angel suggested.
“You just want to see me in my black bikini,” Buffy laughed.
“You’re not wearing that to the beach, every guy with eyes will be all over you,” Angel said. Buffy giggled.
“That was kinda the point...” she trailed off. Angel gave her a look and she laughed.
“Are you laughing at me?” he demanded. She nodded, shaking. He leaned over and tickled her, digging his hands underneath her ribs. She shrieked and rolled, trying to get away from his fingers.
Buffy tried to fight back, but Angel had her pinned. If she had *really* wanted to, she could’ve thrown him off her. But what would be the fun of that?
They calmed down after a while and flipped through the channels on TV. When they found that nothing was on, Buffy led Angel upstairs so they could begin to pack up her things. She wanted to be ready to move in the moment the house was set up.
Later that night they cuddled in bed.
“We’ll be living together soon,” Buffy said against Angel’s chest. He nodded.
“Can’t wait,” he whispered in her ear.
“I’ll be able to keep my promise then,” she added mischievously. He groaned and pulled her closer.
“I’m holding you to it,” he warned her.
“I look forward to it,” she replied and drifted off, dreaming about their house and their life together.