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“Is there a reason you’re blushing like that?” For vacation au cangel 💗

This took forever to finish because for some reason instead of writing a, you know, drabble for some reason I chose to write the entire first date scene which turned out to be over 2k words. I swear I'm nearly incapable of writing something short for this fandom smh

Anyway this is a sequel to this fic and basically the premise of this au is that everyone is human, there's no supernatural elements, and Cordelia and Angel meet while on respective vacations

___

The flurry of butterflies in Cordelia's stomach have officially upgrades to bats--and she's pretty sure they're waging a war. To say she's nervous for her dinner date with Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Frosted-Tips is an understatement; she's been jittery all evening prompting some lighthearted jabs from Faith and Fred. It's like she's in high school, except Queen C never really got nervous on her dates so maybe it's more like she's about to do an audition for a very successful producer. Either way, she's nervous and she's not really sure why.

The elevator dings and she takes a deep breath, smoothing out the long light gray skirt of her dress. Giving herself one last glance in the elevator's reflective surfaces, she pulls her shoulders back and strides out into the lobby.

She spots Angel almost immediately and her heart immediately picks up it's pace. She could never forget how pretty he is but if she did, the sight of him standing there in a navy button up that hugs his form perfectly and dark jeans is a very good reminder. The smile that spreads across his face as he spots her threatens to turn her insides to jelly and she gives him a wave as she crosses the lobby.

"Hi."

"Hi," he greets back, eyes leaving her face for a moment to scan down her dress. "You look beautiful."

She feels her cheeks grow warm. "Thank you. And you look very handsome yourself."

His smile simply grows and she decides that it's right up there with the sunset and the Grand Canyon for most beautiful sights she's ever seen.

He offers her his arm and she automatically takes it. "Shall we?"

"Oh yes please. I'm starving."

He chuckles as they head to the resort's dining area.

___

Dinner goes off really well. Cordelia can't remember the last time she had this much fun with a guy but they've barely stopped talking since they sat down. Well, to be honest, it's been mostly her talking and him listening but he's been asking her so many questions about herself that it feels sort of unavoidable--after all she is chatty. But he seems to be enjoying himself and she certainly knows that she is so she really hopes this is going well by all accounts.

"So, Angel," She says when there's a lull in the conversation, "We've talked so much about me but I want to know more about you. Like what do you do for a living? Or what brings you here?"

He swallows the steak he's been chewing--he likes it rare and to be honest, she finds that a little weird, but it's definitely not a deal breaker. "I work at a law firm, leading the security team. I don't love it but it pays the bills. And I'm here because my friend--you might've not noticed him but he was playing basketball with me. Was wearing orange shorts." An amused smile pulls at Cordelia's lips as she thinks of Fred. "He knows a guy who works here and managed to get us a good deal." Picking up a knife, he starts cutting into his steak. "I've been so busy with work and felt like I wasn't around Connor nearly enough so--" He stops mid sentence, knife halfway through the meat and gives her a guilty look. "Oh."

Eyebrows creasing, Cordelia puts down the wine glass she was about to sip from. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I just... I never know when or how to bring this up. I'm still so new to this and..." He trails off and Cordelia's brain fills with countless worst case scenarios. Angel takes a deep breath. "I have a son."

The scenarios freeze and dissipate in the blink of an eye. "Oh?"

He nods, a little uncertain. "His name is Connor, he's five." Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out his wallet and flips it open to reveal a picture of him--sans frosted tips--and a little boy with dirty blonde hair and a grin that reminds her of Angel's.

Cordelia feels a smile spread across her face. "He's adorable."

Angel nods his head, practically beaming with pride. "He is. He's going into first grade this year and he already knows all of the alphabet and is starting to read!" His eyes light up as he talks and Cordelia finds herself captivated. "He's really smart and he's athletic too. You should've seen him on his junior hockey team, one game he scored three goals." Stopping himself, he rubs the back of his neck and chuckles awkwardly. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get carried away."

"No, don't apologize." She gives him a soft smile, covering the hand he has resting on the table with hers. "Your son sounds wonderful and it's really sweet hearing you talk about him. You really love him."

"I do," He says fondly, his eyes going far away. "His mother and I... well we were never good together and it didn't end well. She's no longer in the picture."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It was for the best. And well, Connor? He's the best thing to ever happen to me."

Scratch his smiles, the sincerity and love in his voice and written across his face is absolutely breathtaking.

"That's why I'm on this vacation," He continues, "I wanted to spend more time with Connor and give him cool experiences. It's what he deserves."

She squeezes his hand. "That's really sweet." A thought strikes her and she frowns. "Why are you here with me then? You should be with your son."

He ducks his head. "Is it bad if I say I needed a break from him?"

She laughs and shakes her head. "Not at all. This girl at work has kids and she once told me a big reason why she chose to return to work was to get out of the house every once in a while, so I get it." A playful smile dances across her lips. "Is that your only reason though...?"

With a smirk, he grasps her hand and lifts it to his lips. "Not at all. I saw you sitting by the pool and nearly got hit in the head with a basketball." She chuckles at the image, her stomach flipping, though not unpleasantly. "I'm very glad you agreed to dinner."

"So am I," She says softly, warmth bubbling inside of her. Tearing her eyes away from her face, she returns to her meal, cutting off a piece of her scallops. "So, if you're on this date with me, where's Connor?"

"He's with his uncles." She glances at him, prompting him to explain, "I came on this trip with a few of my friends. There's Gunn--it's his last name--he's the guy I mentioned before. He works security with me. Then Wesley, it's a long story how I know him but he works at the museum where I'm from archiving old books or something. And then Doyle, who's like my brother. Youo might've seen him on the court as well, Wesley was watching Connor during his nap time." He takes a sip of his wine. "They all agreed to look after him so I could be here with you."

"Well tell them I say thank you. They sound like great guys."

"Yeah I really appreciate them." His glass clinks softly against his plate as he sets it down. "What about your friends? They seemed interesting."

"That's one way of putting it," She says with a snort. "I met Faith in high school through a girl we both knew but we didn't really become friends until later on in our lives. She did time a few years back, it's not really my story to tell, but once she got out she started a non-profit helping kids to get off of the streets. I help her out." Taking another bite of scallops, she continues, "And then I met Fred when I accidentally signed up for what I thought was an all inclusive retreat but turned out to be five days in the mountains taking care of some woman's farm." They both laugh. "We certainly bonded."

"Seems like it," he says shoulders still shaking.

"They're good friends even though Faith has less of a filter than I do."

He hums around his bite of steak. "Good to know."

They lapse into comfortable silence, eating their respective meals and occasionally sneaking glances at the other. But a tightness wraps itself around Cordelia's spine, fear manifesting itself physically at the possibility of vulnerability, at the realization of how relaxed she feels around this man in such a short amount of time. She doesn't know him, not truly, and yet she wants to with such a fierce desire that it scares her. Not only that but she wants him to know her as well, to let him strip her bare of her defenses, allow him to crawl inside her skin and know the parts of her she's kept on lock from everyone else.

It's a terrifying thought to realize how much she wants this and more importantly, just how much he could hurt her if she let him.

Swallowing down her anxieties with a gulp of wine, she levels her gaze at Angel. A smile slips across her lips at the crease in his brow as he concentrates on cutting his steak, her heart fluttering at the tensing muscles in his hand. And she decides right then and there that she won't let him hurt her--but she also won't let her fears get in the way of getting to know this beautiful man.

___

By the time dinner--followed by dessert and a walk around the resort--is over, the moon is high in the sky and those still awake have gathered at the bars and other places with nightly activities. The hallway to Cordelia's suite is quiet though, the only sound is the soft elevator ding and the scuffing of footsteps as Cordelia and Angel make their way to the door.

They walk hand in hand, bodies so close together that their shoulders bump occasionally. The door gets closer and the bats in Cordelia's stomach become tiny vampires, gnawing away at her insides. Part of her doesn't want this night to end, to be honest it's the most enjoyable date she's had in a very long time. Talking with Angel feels like talking to an old friend; there's an ease and a comfort to their conversations, a rhythm that they found so quickly that just feels natural. She genuinely enjoys being with him--something she can't say for very many of her past relationships.

As they stop in front of her room, the other part of her waits in nervous anticipation for how this night is going to end.

"Well, this is me," She says, glancing at her room number as her body turns to face him. "How much do you want to bet my friends are in the living room just waiting to ambush me?"

He chuckles. "My friends probably will do the same."

"Why do we put up with them?" She asks teasingly.

He laughs again and ducks his head. A silence spreads between them, tense and exciting, wrought with anticipation and the pounding of Cordelia's heart. She watches him study his shoes, shift back and forth, as if gathering up the courage. It's cute how shy he's being but the silence stretches on one second too long and she can't help the sigh she heaves.

"Well? Aren't you going to kiss me?"

His head snaps up and his cheeks go red, one hand moving to run through his frosted tips. "Well-I-I didn't want to assume. I really like you and I didn't want to mess--"

He's abruptly cut off as Cordelia surges forward and firmly presses her mouth against his.

Angel relaxes almost instantly, his hands finding her hips and gently holding on. She palms his face, kissing him softly, tenderly, but without an ounce of hesitation, like walking into a pool for the first time and feeling the cool waters slowly warm. His skin is soft beneath her hands, lips like ambrosia and when he parts them slightly her head spins.

She pulls back before it can go any further, before she breaks all carefully crafted defenses and invites him in for something she hasn't done on a first date since high school. But she already mourns the loss, her mouth tingling with the ghost of his kiss and she steps back, letting her hands drop from his face before she can give into the temptation to press her lips hard against his and never come up for air again.

His hands remain on her hips for half a second more, thumbs running slow circles against the satin of her dress and then he lets go, looking at her with wonder and warmth, his cheeks pink.

“Is there a reason you’re blushing like that?” She teases gently, voice coming out soft, nearly breathless.

He smiles, not a large beaming grin or a gentle quirk of his lips but a soft curve that she longs to run her fingertips across. "I hadn't realized just how much I wanted to kiss you."

She feels warmth bloom in her chest and spread up her neck, flushing her face. "Me too."

"I should let you get some sleep," he says hesitantly, like it's the opposite of what he really wants. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Absolutely." And then, without thinking, she presses up on her toes and kisses him once more. "Goodnight, Angel."

His voice sounds breathless, wistful. "Goodnight, Cordelia."

#ats #angel the series #cordelia chase #angel the vampire #cangel #fanfiction #fanfic #CA vacation au #skipps writes

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