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Naked Friends -- by Echo
Rating: PG-13
Description: Set after the season finale of ANGEL. Mr. Billowy Coat, King of Pain is living with the May Queen. Things happen when you live in a place that has one bathroom.
Disclaimer: Whedon owns all. I'm merely borrowing. Please don't sue.
*~*ANGEL OF THE MORNING*~*
Cordelia entered her apartment and froze. She'd been on her way to an audition and left her picture and resume on the counter. It was horrible. The sound coming from the bathroom. There was only one person it could be because Wesley had left when she had. She crept closer to the bathroom to hear better. The water was running. He was in the shower. The noise continued.
"JUST CALL ME ANGEL, OF THE MORNING, ANGEL! JUST TOUCH MY CHEEK BEFORE YOU LEAVE ME, BABY!"
Cordelia started laughing. She couldn't help it. It was bad enough that he was singing, but the fact that he was singing the song he was singing? Well, stop and marvel at the irony. She stumpled against the wall and tried to catch her breath. The shower turned off, and the door slammed open. A wet hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat, yanking her into the bathroom. Cordelia tried to scream.
It took Angel a good minute to realize whose neck he had a grip on. He'd heard a noise and thought someone had broken into the apartment. Her choking gasp brought him back to reality. He was wet. He was naked. He was holding his girl Friday a good foot off the ground by her neck.
"Cordelia?"
"An-gel" She choked out.
He released her neck. She nearly crumpled to the floor. He grabbed her, and she crumpled against him instead. She started choking. Her cheek was resting against his wet chest.
"What the hell was that?"
"I-I thought you were a prowler."
"Nope, just me, naked guy."
"N-naked?" He suddenly became aware that he was, in fact, quite nude. "Uh, maybe I better..."
"Dry off? Put clothes on that body? Good plan. I'll just step outside here, ok? Ok."
She darted out the door pretty quickly, pulling it closed behind her. He leaned against it. He was so used to living alone. Damn Wolfram and Hart for burning him out of a home. Not that he minded living with Cordelia. He just liked his alone time a lot.
Cordelia rushed into the living room and collapsed on the sofa. She didn't want him to be able to hear how fast her heart was pounding. Screw her audition. Like she could really do anything after that. He'd scared the hell out of her. She'd probably have bruises around her throat. And he'd been naked. Naked as naked ever was. And wet. Wet and naked and she was dwelling on the naked. This was not good. He was her friend and she kept seeing him naked. Living with Angel was definitely not going to be boring.
He stepped into the living room in a pair of black sweats and a tank top. Black. His signature color. Cordelia smiled at him.
"Cordelia, look, I'm-"
"No need." She waved her hand at him. "Close quarters here. Two bedrooms, one bath, three people. One of us was bound to see another one of us naked sooner or later. I'm just glad I was the person seeing and not the one being seen." Really glad I was the person seeing.
His mouth was hanging open. She thought he might be upset because he was naked? He didn't care. It didn't bother him. He'd dance around her naked for all he cared. The only reason he was bothered was because he thought she might have been bothered by it."I was going to say I was sorry about grabbing you like that."
"Oh, well you're totally forgiven." She grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV. Angel noticed the blush creeping up her cheeks.
"Cordelia?"
"Yes?" She sqeaked.
He sat next to her on the sofa. He could hear her heart pounding. "Are you sure you're ok." He put his hand on her arm.
"I'm fine. Fine." She looked at his hand, then shot off the couch and into the kitchen.
Angel stared after her. Well, this had just gotten interesting.
*~*CONVERSATION PIECES*~*
As soon as he shut the door, she dove for the phone. She dialed the number she'd memorized in the past month. She waited. Then the cheerful voice came through the phone.
"Hello."
"Willow?"
"Hey, Cordelia, what's up? How'd that audition go?"
"Never mind that."
"Oh, Cordy, I'm sorry."
"Can it, wicca girl. I didn't even go."
"Why not?"
"Something happened this morning."
"Something bad? Oh no. Is everyone ok? Is Angel ok? Wesley?"
"Down girl, we're fine. I just saw... saw..."
"You had a vision?"
"Well, no...."
"Cordelia, you're being vague. That's not like you. What's going on?"
"I saw Angel naked."
"Oh, is that... YOU WHAT?!"
"He was singing in the shower-"
"He was SINGING?"
"Let me finish. Anyway, I had left something here and I heard him singing and I started laughing and the next thing I knew he'd grabbed me by my neck and yanked me in the bathroom with him."
"Oh." Willow had a dream-like quality to her voice.
"No, He thought I was a burgler."
Willow giggled.
"Will, it's not funny. He was all wet and naked."
"Oh."
"I was so embarrassed."
"What did he look like? Was he all yummy looking? Not that I, uh, ever wondered about that."
"Willow!"
"You DID look, didn't you?"
"Maybe." She heard the door opening. "Look, I think he's back I'll call you later."
"Tomorrow."
"Ok, I'll call tomorrow."
"Bye, Cordy."
"Bye, Will. Thanks for listening."
"Oh hey, no big."
"Bye."
"Bye."
Cordelia hung up the phone right as Wesley walked in holding a rented video.
"Hello, Cordelia."
"Oh. Hi, Wesley."
"You alright? You seem a bit flustered."
"I'm fine."
"Who were you speaking to?" He nodded at the phone.
"Willow."
"And how is everything in Sunnydale?"
"I, uh, I don't know. We didn't get to talk long. I'm supposed to call her tomorrow."
"Oh, well, tell her I said hello."
"I'll do that. What's that?" She pointed to the video.
"I rented a video. I thought we could watch it."
"I can see it's a video. What video is it?"
"Oh. American Pie. I've never seen it. You were always talking about how you liked it, so I decided to rent it."
Cordelia nearly laughed at the thought of Mr. Uptight watching THAT movie. "Oh. yeah. Let's watch it."
*~*CORDELIA HAS GIRL PARTS*~*
Angel decided he'd just reach in and grab it. So she was in the shower. She'd been in there for half an hour. He just wanted his robe. It was hanging on the back of the door. All he had to do was reach in and grab it. Angel turned the knob on the bathroom door and pushed it open slightly. Steam hit him in the face. He reached an arm in and felt behind the door. Nothing. He pushed the door open further and stuck his head in. He saw it hanging there. As he was about to grab it, he felt something shove him in the bathroom. The door pulled closed.
"Dennis." He hissed. He pulled on the doorknob. Nothing happened.
"Hello? Who's there?"
Angel spun around and backed up against the door. She was going to think he was a big pervert. Either that, or trying to get even with her for this morning. Suddenly, she screamed and came flying out of the shower taking the shower curtain with her. Angel didn't even think. He just grabbed for her to keep her from falling on the tiled floor.
Cordelia could have swore she heard someone in the bathroom with her, but she didn't have time to dwell on it. The second the cold spray had hit her body, Cordelia had screamed with all she had in her. She hated a cold shower. She jumped out, accidentally taking the curtain with her. She jumped out right into Angel's arms.
"Angel?" Her face had little droplets of water on it. All of her had little droplets of water on everything. And the only thing separating her chest from his was a very thin plastic shower curtain. His hands were resting at the base of her very bare back.
"Cordelia." He sqeaked out. He was holding her. All he had on was his boxers. All she had on was the shower curtain.
"What are you doing?"
"I-" Her hair was hanging in long wet strings. Her eyes were huge. Her hands were on his shoulders. He could feel her breath on his face. All he had to do was just lean in. "I just came in here to get my robe and Dennis pushed me in."
"Oh."
"I-I'm gonna go now." He let go of her and stepped away suddenly. The shower curtain slipped to the floor. Angel snapped his eyes closed, but the image of Cordelia nude seemed to be burned into the backs of his eyelids. He grabbed for the doorknob. It turned this time. He stumbled out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind him.
*~*THE INEVITABLE*~*
He was figiting on the sofa when she walked in and handed him his robe. He took it from her and looked up. He expected to see anger on her face, but all he saw was amusment. He stood up and pulled on his robe, yanking it closed, then he sat back down. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, and she had on that pale blue terry cloth robe of hers. She flopped next to him on the sofa.
"Cordelia I-"
She placed her hand over his mouth. "Nope. Look, it's like I told you. Bound to happen. Close quarters."
He took her hand off his mouth. "I just don't want you to think I'm some peeping Tom."
"I don't think you're a pepping Tom." She grinned widely. "I think you're a peeping Angel."
He jaw dropped. "I-"
"I'm kidding. Kidding. Gee, you'd think those years you spent with an ass like Spike would teach you to be able to take some ragging on."
"Well, I'm glad I can amuse you."
"Angel, don't be like that." She leaned up against him. "You like my best friend. You and Wesley and Willow. You guys know the most about me."
"I'm your best friend?" Something clenched in his chest. He was shocked by the trust in her eyes.
"Well, duh. You just keep saving me. I have to like you." She smiled brightly at him. Angel laughed and put an arm around her. "I love it when you laugh. I really love it when I make you laugh, but you know, not because I did something dumb."
He laughed again. Who would have thought Cordelia Chase would have been good for him. "So we're friends?"
"We're more than that. We're naked friends."
"N-naked friends?"
"You know, friends that have seen each other naked."
"Oh."
"It was inevitable."
"Us seeing each other naked?"
"No, broody. Us being friends. You need me as much as I need you."
"You need me?" Just when he thought she couldn't shock him more.
"Of course. How can you even ask that?"
"Naked friends, huh?"
"Yep. Naked. Of course, you fall under naked and yummy." He pulled away and looked at her. "What? I'm supposed to stop being honest just because we're friends? I don't think so." She clicked the power button on the remote and tried to find something good.
"I expect nothing less. And you're pretty goddess-looking yourself."
She snuggled into him. "Angel, are you flirting with your friend?"
"No. Never. I'm harmlessly flirting with my naked friend."
"Oh well, that's ok then."
Angel smiled as she settled for some infomercial. His friend. His gorgeous,outspoken, best friend. He could deal with this. Now if someone asked him if he knew what it was like to have a friend like Buffy had done so long ago, he could answer them with an emphatic yes and think of the girl leaning into him that he'd seen wearing only her birthday suit just half an hour ago. The one who'd never hide anything from him because it wasn't in her nature to hide. Her soul was laid bare before him. His naked friend.
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