Angel / RPGFH / Wesley's Response to Willow

Warning! The following is completely PWP and BWB - as in "Beta? What Beta?" It's being posted just for fun and is not to be taken as a serious fic.

Written by: TBQ

Angel walked into the AI offices just after sundown. Cordy and Wes were both there. Gunn, he figured, must be off on personal business.

"Hey, Cordy," Angel said, stopping by her desk. "Why don't you take the night off?

Angel could see Wes glance over at him curiously.

"Nah," Cordy replied. Since the last time Angel had seen her, she'd repainted her nails. They were now a deep red with gold undertones. A little distracting, given her orange-colored outfit. "I'm good. Got no plans."

Angel tried giving Cordy a significant look. "Um - really. Why not? I can cover for you here?"

Cordy grinned. "Planning on having a vision there, big guy?"

"Cordy," Angel said, this time making *sure* to give her a significant look, "get dinner. Catch a movie. Really."

Cordy paused, then her mouth formed an "O". "I get it. You two -"

"Cordy," Angel said, a light warning tone in his voice.

"Right, right. Trust me - I don't want the details. But, ah -" Cordy paused, holding out her hand. She wiggled her fingers when Angel didn't immediately respond to that. "If you want me going out to dinner…."

Angel sighed, pulled out his wallet, and handed over a few twenties.

"Thanks!" Cordy said, brightly. She dropped her paperwork and grabbed her coat. "Wes, I'm going out."

"Have a good evening, Cordelia," Wesley replied, not looking up from his own work.

Angel watched Cordy go, then locked the door behind her. "You know," he said, still watching her through the window, "I don't own this place anymore and I'm *still* paying her off."

"It's your own fault for encouraging her," Wesley said. "I told her no the first time she asked and look how well it turned out."

"Yeah," Angel said, walking over to Wes's desk now, "she comes to me."

"As I say, look how well it turned out," Wes replied.

Angel grabbed a chair, dragged it over, and made himself comfortable. He snuck a look at Wes's computer. "Any new mail?"

"Hum?" Wesley asked. He looked over at the monitor. "No. Doesn't appear to be."

Angel thought about a few places he could go with that, then abandoned it. "Look, Wes," he said, leaning forward. "I could sit here and pretend I don't know what's going on and play Twenty Questions while we dance around the point all night or I could just say I know you're talking to Willow, I know it sucks, I know you're hurting and all I wanna do is skip to the part where I get to do the boyfriend thing and take care of you. Whaddya think?"

"It's fine," Wesley said. The monitor reflected in his glasses as Wes turned his head back down to his paperwork.

"No," Angel said, "That'd be Twenty Questions. Hey, Wes - how ya feeling? Whatcha doing? You ok with it? Really - let's skip it. I suck at it anyway. Too much talking."

"Really, it's fine," Wes said. He stood up, stuffing some papers into a file folder. "She has some interesting ideas about the nature of the curse and how Ms. Calendar recreated it. I'm going to attempt to -"

Angel stood, grabbed him, turned him around, and kissed him. Wes stiffened for a second as though he might pull away, but then slowly relaxed against him.

"Tell me again without lying to me," Angel said, softly. He held Wes close, not letting him get an inch away.

"It's - " Wesley started to say, but stopped at the look in Angel's eyes. He sighed, giving up. "Two years felt like such a long time to me."

Angel took the folder out of Wes's hands and put it on the desk. Leaning back against the desk himself, he pulled Wes nice and close. "Tell me about it."

Wes rested his head on Angel's shoulder. Angel rubbed his cheek against Wes's hair. "I thought… I felt as though so much had changed. As though *I* had changed."

"But now you don't?"

Wesley shrugged. "What's really that different? Who am I to say I'm a new person?"

Angel gave Wes a sardonic look. "Um - Wes? Take it from the guy who knows. *Big* changes."

"It's just two years," Wesley said. "Two years in an entire life. It's nothing."

"Fuck it isn't," Angel said. He made Wes face him. "Don't even try that game with me, Wes. Try five years in two hundred and forty seven. *You* still think I'm worthwhile? That I've changed?"

Wesley looked as though he were about to agree, and instead remained silent.

"Look," Angel said gently. "I'm not saying you didn't fuck up in Sunnydale. Christ knows *I* didn't even like you back then. And if Willow hasn't forgiven you yet - well then maybe she's not gonna and never will. It's possible. That's her right. But you can't let that define you, Wes. You're doing good. You're doing *great*. And it's not Willow's place to tell you if you are or not."

"Just yours," Wesley said, faintly joking but not really dismissing what Angel said either.

"Well, yeah," Angel said, trying to get a grin out of him. "It's a boyfriend thing. I'm allowed."

Wes moved in closer until they stood cheek to cheek. "Do you know how much I love you, Angel? What I would do for you?"

"Put yourself through your own personal Hell, for starters," Angel said, "I know that much. Wes - don't hurt yourself just to help me. It's not worth it. That's *never* worth it."

"No, this is more than that," Wesley said. "I *want* to know. Everyone talks about your damned curse but no one does anything about it. And - and there's Spike now as well. I want to try. To help." Now Wesley grinned at him a little. "It is our call to arms, isn't it?"

"Not at your expense," Angel said. "Can I be saying that enough?"

"I heard you the first time," Wesley said then, shyly, added "but no. You can't. It helps."

"Do you know I don't even *have* a curse?" Angel asked. "Really. Just a rumor. Made it up years ago."

Wesley kissed him. His lips were soft. "I want to do this."

It was Angel's turn to sigh. "Can't stop you?"

"No," Wesley said. "If - if I get hurt in this, it's only what I deserve. If Willow doesn't trust me - I deserve that. She's no reason to. And perhaps it's time I atoned for the things that I did. I don't suppose there's anyone in this room who could understand *that* now, is there?"

"Shaddup," Angel replied.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Ok," Angel said. "I don't like it but - you're a big boy. You can make your own decisions. But - I'm still gonna take care of you." He cupped Wes's chin in his hand, stroking Wesley's lips with his thumb. "Remind you that you *did* change. And you're always worthwhile."

Wesley moved, instinctively brushing his lips and tongue against Angel's finger. "I shan't tell you not to."

"Ok then. Let's go home."