Wishlist

“And this one is for you, Fred.” Lorne handed the thin girl a heavy red bag adorned with green ribbon. She tore franticly into the tissue and pulled out a book.

“Oh, wow Lorne! The Code of Ruhmand Nahrir! I’ve been looking for this forever! This has some of the most complex translations on disassociative conjurations in this dimension! It’s just what I wanted!”

“I know, sweetie pie. Well, not ‘know’ in the sense of having any idea of what you’re talking about, but it was on your list. So…Merry Christmas!” The green demon dropped a quick kiss to her cheek. “Who’s next?”

Angel watched in contented silence as his friends exchanged gifts. Fred’s Christmas List idea was a huge success. Each member of Wolfram and Hart-new and old-placed their Wish List in the executive break room and shopped accordingly. Now everyone had exactly what they wanted, more or less.

“Well, this was just a shot in the dark,” Wesley began, passing a thin box to Angel, “but it’s not my fault you refused to make a list.” Angel took the box from Wes and opened it carefully. He knew Wes wouldn’t understand, exactly. After hundreds of years on earth, there was little Angel had left to acquire. Most things he wanted he could buy on his own. Now, he truly had as much or more enjoyment watching the people he loved get what they wished. He opened the box and pulled out a black cashmere scarf.

“Wesley…this is just beautiful. Thank you so much.” He leaned over and hugged him awkwardly. The small band of fighters and scholars that he sometimes called friends, and other times called employees, sat in a tight group in his living room exchanging Christmas Eve-Eve cheer.

“This one’s for Gunn!” Andrew excitedly called from under the enormous tree. A gold package sailed through the air and landed on Gunn’s lap. The young man opened it gleefully.

“Reservoir Dogs on DVD! Thanks…Andrew,” he said, reading the tag.

“No problem. I knew you wanted it.” Andrew began plucking again at the gifts under the tree and Angel inwardly cringed. He hadn’t gotten Andrew anything. It wasn’t his fault, though! By the time he’d gotten to Andrew’s list, everyone had already gotten everything on it. The only thing not purchased by someone in the very room where Angel now sat was a UCLA sweatshirt that Dawn and Buffy had sent for Andrew the day before.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to get Andrew something, or that he didn’t think he deserved it. Far from it. Andrew had been an amazing help since he’d joined Angel’s staff. Truth be told, Angel hadn’t realized how badly he’d needed a personal assistant until Andrew had arrived, and even though he’d only hired him as a favor to Buffy, he was proving invaluable.

“This one says ‘Lorne’!” Andrew passed a box to the demon.

“If this is the jacket I saw in the window at Neiman last month, you’re my new best friend,” he said to Angel. Angel did a quick calculation. There were only a couple of presents left. One of them was bound to be from Andrew. “Oh, honey. Friends forever!” Lorne gushed, donning his new jacked. Angel smiled. Yep, it was definitely better to give than receive. Well, when it came to gifts at least.

Angel waited through the last few presents until he saw the final one, odd shaped and covered in Halloween paper. He prepared his excuse in advance for why he didn’t have a gift for his devoted assistant. It wasn’t too late to get a gift certificate to Blockbuster. He knew the kid would like that. Or he could just hand over a wad of cash. Andrew was pretty easygoing. Maybe he wouldn’t even care.

“Sorry, we ran out of Christmas paper,” Andrew explained, passing it to Wesley.

“Oh, I don’t think the wrapping makes a difference,” Wesley said and opened his gift. “Oh, Andrew. This is lovely.”

“Well, you said you wanted a picture of all of us so I got the one from Thanksgiving and…see there on the side? I made the frame myself and those are shells from that trip we all took to the beach last month.”

Wesley admired the gift while Angel hypocritically fumed. Andrew didn’t get him anything. Okay, so Angel hadn’t gotten Andrew anything either, but that was different. It was different in some way that Angel wasn’t clear on, but different dammit! At least, he thought, he wouldn’t have to feel guilty about not buying a gift for the kid.

***

Angel propped his feet up on the big mahogany desk that dominated one whole side of his office. Thoughts of the Senior Partners and what they might or might not have in store for him wore heavily on his mind. His small desk lamp left a pool of light over the documents he was reading, and he barely heard the knock at the door. When it registered, he instinctively drew his hand to the silent alarm button under his desk that would instantly summon the four very burley Welthor demons he had employed. At eleven-thirty on Christmas Eve, there were very few people he expected to be knocking on his door.

“Angel?” A spiky blond head appeared at the door and Angel relaxed his pose. “Can I talk to you for a sec?” Andrew popped his shoulders through the doorway as well.

“Sure, come in.” Angel shut the file he was working on and rubbed his tired eyes. As the kid approached his desk, Angel shot out of his chair in a panic. Crossing to the front of the mahogany monstrosity, Angel grabbed Andrew by the shoulders, nearly spilling the boy’s mug. He pulled Andrew’s head to the side, examining his neck. Then he bent it to the other side. Though he could faintly see an old feeding scar that he fully intended on asking the boy about later, there were no new wounds to speak of.

“Angel? Is something—Oh!” Angel spun the boy around and lifted his shirt from the waistband of his pants. Even as he was pulling the fabric up, Angel inwardly smiled. He’d told Andrew that he didn’t have to wear a shirt and tie, but the kid always did. He said he liked to look professional when he was working with demons.

Angel ran his fingers over the smooth skin of Andrew’s back and then bent and ran hands down each pant leg. Satisfied but confused, he turned the boy again and ran his hands up the front of each leg and pulled up the white dress shirt. Angel ran cool hands along Andrew’s chests and over his nipples. He looked up at the young man, confused. Andrew’s head was lolling gently to the side, his mouth parted slightly, and he was panting.

Angel knew a random fondle was probably sending Andrew the wrong message. Angel had seen the kid mooning over the men of Wolfram and Hart for months. Gunn had taken to using the stairs just to avoid the adoring gazes, but Angel wasn’t concerned with mixed messages now. He was just plain concerned.

“What’s wrong?” Andrew gasped.

“I don’t understand,” Angel said finally. “Who hurt you? Where are you bleeding?”

“Huh?”

“It’s everywhere. I can smell it all around you. Your blood...”

“Oh.” Andrew stepped back sheepishly. “That’s your Christmas present.”

“My—huh?” Andrew passed him the mug he’d been precariously holding in his hand.

“This is for you. It’s me. I mean, its mine. Well, not all of it.” Angel continued to stare at the boy in confusion. “Mostly it’s pig’s blood ‘cause Fred and I didn’t want you to go all, you know, ‘grrr!!’” Andrew demonstrated humorously. “It’s just a splash. Think of it like…coffee creamer…or Tabasco. Only…it’s blood! There’s more in the fridge downstairs. It’s only a pint but if you drink it sparingly, it should last—“

“You’re giving me blood?”

“Yeah.”

“Your blood?”

“Yeah…why are you not following this, Angel? It’s for Christmas….? You wouldn’t make a list….?” Andrew said, as if it explained everything. Angel was speechless and Andrew used the opportunity to pass the warm mug to him.

“You can drink it now. It won’t gross me out or anything.”

Angel took the mug from him and raised it to his mouth. Human blood, given willingly. It was more than a Christmas present. It was…it was too much.

“I can’t, Andrew,” he said, setting the mug down. “I mean, I know you were trying to do something nice but you can’t just give a vampire your blood like that.”

“Why not? It is mine to give to whomever I wish.” Andrew smiled wistfully and Angel knew the kid was lost in some human/elf, Lord of the Rings fantasy. God he was glad he was Aragorn in this one.

“Well, yeah, but—“

“And you’re not getting any more. This is a one-time-only thing. I passed out twice and almost threw up when Fred was drawing it,” he explained, rubbing gently at the crook of his elbow where the tiniest dot of a puncture was still visible. Angel was surprised he hadn’t noticed it when he’d checked the kid earlier, but Andrew had a way of muddling his mind. Whether it was from some inane chatter about the new George Lucas movie or arguing with Harmony, Andrew was—okay, if Angel was honest, Andrew was always putting off kittenish vibes of sex and innocence. It tended to throw off a vamp with a keen nose for pheromones. And speaking of pheromones, right now Andrew was releasing them like they were going out of style. Andrew looked hopefully at Angel with wide, adoring eyes.

Angel eyed the mug apprehensively. He’d love to drink every drop of the fresh, human blood. Blood from this panting creature standing just a half step too close to him. Andrew was looking at him expectantly. The kid wanted him to drink it, but he also looked like he was waiting for something—

Dammit! He still hadn’t gotten Andrew a present! The little puppy-dog face was going to be the undeath of him in a couple of seconds. As soon as the kid figured out that Angel had put off getting him a gift until the last minute, his face would crumple and Angel would forever be the asshole. Think! There had to be something Andrew needed. Something he wanted that wasn’t on his list…

“I can’t have any more?” Angel suddenly asked.

“Nope. One-time deal.”

“And there’s nothing I can do about that? I can’t hang around, begging for a suck when this is all gone?”

“Ew! Gross much, Angel?”

“I’m just trying to prove a point, Andrew. Humor me.”

“No, I don’t think I could do it again. Not unless there was an emergency or something.”

“Only Fred knows about this?”

“Of course. Wes would never have let me do it.”

“So no one will find out?”

“No….” Andrew was looking at him like he was crazy again.

“And things won’t be weird between us if I drink it?”

“It’s just a gift between friends—we are friends, right Angel?” The vampire sensed sudden panic in Andrew’s demeanor. “If you don’t like your present, I can pour it down the drain…” The kid’s face hovered on the edge of shattering with rejection. Angel took in the trembling lip, shining eyes, and flushed cheeks and made his decision.

“Of course we’re friends, Andrew. Of course...” With that, Angel wrapped his hand around the back of Andrew’s neck and pulled him forward in a short, intense kiss. When Angel pulled back, he looked at Andrew who was finally speechless. His eyes were closed and still slightly pursed.

Without opening his eyes, Andrew whispered, “What was that?”

Angel smiled, his hand still resting on the smooth, warm skin of the young man’s neck. “Your Christmas present,” he answered, planting another intense kiss to the boy’s face, this time on the edge of his jaw near is ear, “and the same rules apply. Got it?” His words were whispered in Andrew’s ear. “I drink this bl—this gift, and in return,” Angel slid a cool hand down Andrew’s body and let it graze the hard bulge in front of him, “I’ll be your fantasy.”

Angel pulled back to gauge the young man’s reaction. Andrew was panting heavily, pheromones thick between them. The kid nodded enthusiastically and dove forward, clamping his lips over Angel’s. The vampire groaned appreciatively at the kid’s enthusiasm. This would be fun.

Angel let Andrew lead. The kid worked Angel’s shirt off and kicked off his own sneakers and socks. The vampire mentally rolled his eyes. Sneakers with a suit. He’d hoped his fashion sense would have rubbed off on the kid by now but he’d been mistaken. He slipped his own Italian leather shoes off and stood before Andrew in only his pants while the blond boy struggled to unbutton the cuffs of his own prim shirt.

Angel took one arm and pulled it forward, ripping the cuff apart and sending the buttons flying to the ground. He could tell Andrew was suddenly reminded of that preternatural vampire strength because he stopped groping at the vampire and instead stood stock still in front of him. Angel pulled the arm toward his mouth and left a lazy lick along the small-boned appendage. He moved the arm to hang on his shoulder and then pulled the other one forward, popping the cuff open and nuzzling the soft skin of Andrew’s wrist. He could feel the blood pumping in the pale blue veins and left another appreciative lick along the throbbing channel.

Confident that he was once again in charge, Angel set the second arm on his other shoulder and ripped open the white shirt the rest of the way. More buttons rained to the ground. Andrew seemed anxious but smiled weakly when Angel looked him in the eye.

“Ready to play, Andrew?” Andrew nodded nervously and Angel pulled the shirt off of his body, leaving the ugly striped tie. Andrew moved to take it off, but Angel stilled his hand. “Leave it.”

The two men stood with bare feet, mostly naked from the waist up. Angel wrapped Andrew’s tie around his hand, reeling him in. When he was close enough, he kissed him again, this time plunging his tongue into Andrew’s mouth. The blond boy responded hesitantly and then, with increased confidence, let his tongue meet the vampire’s. Angel let his free hand wander across the body before him, running his knuckles across Andrew’s sensitized nubs. He ran his hand still further south and began working at Andrew’s fly. Andrew gasped nervously, his hands hanging limply at his sides. He moved to push his own pants down but Angel growled a warning and he stopped. Angel soon had them open and pushed them insistently downward where they puddled around Andrew’s feet.

“Sit in that chair, Andrew.” Each time Angel said the blond boy’s name, he could smell his arousal intensify. The kid clearly got a kick out of hearing it issued from the vampire’s lips, and since this was *Andrew’s* Christmas present, Angel intended to say it often. Andrew looked confused for a minute and then moved to the tall, austere chair sitting near the window.

Andrew fidgeted nervously on the chair while Angel slipped past him and turned the lock on the door. It would be ironic--and mortifying--if Fred were to walk in and see Angel “thanking” Andrew for the special Christmas gift. Next, Angel crossed behind his desk and rummaged in the bottom drawer where he kept certain things of a personal nature.

“Uh, Angel? What are you doing? If you have work to do, you can—,” His words stopped as Angel set a bottle of lube directly in front of Andrew’s line of sight. The kid’s eyes opened wide and Angel moved to stand in front of him, his knees pressing into Andrew’s own bent knees. Slowly, the vampire unbuckled his pants and pulled the belt from his body, laying it on the enormous desk. He opened his fly and let the fabric hang loose, revealing the trail of thick dark hair that led to expensive boxers.

“What do you want for Christmas, Andrew?” Angel asked, curious at Andrew’s response. Then he thought about what he said and inwardly winced. Damn. He sounded like such a cheap porn actor. It had been way too long since he’d seduced anyone. What would *he* have said at Andrew’s age if his fantasy had been presented to him on a somewhat tarnished silver platter?

“Um…I, uh…I don’t know…Just keep talking and stuff.”

“And stuff?”

“Stuff…I don’t know…” Andrew appeared indecisive but his hormone levels were steadily increasing. Angel was becoming hard just smelling the youth.

“Well, if you don’t know what stuff you like to hear, that could make things harder,” Angel said with a rare smile. Andrew caught that anomaly and smiled himself. “Yeah…” Angel said, with mock-seriousness, “It makes things *very* hard…” He took his hand and ran it over his crotch, pressing insistently at his own increasingly painful member. God he was getting hard. Maybe it had something to do with being the object of such idol-worship, or maybe it was the smell of the nubile boy sitting uncertainly before him, but his cock was starting to hurt with need, trapped in the fabric prison. He would wait, though, until Andrew was ready.

Maybe Andrew could sense his discomfort or maybe the kid was just feeling some discomfort of his own. Whatever the reason, Angel was grateful when Andrew made a decision. He leaned back further in his chair and slid a bare foot up the length of Angel’s leg. Then he ran his toes over the vampire’s throbbing bulge and said, “I want you to fuck me, Angel.”

The vampire would have chuckled at Andrew’s seduction technique if it hadn’t, embarrassingly enough, been so effective. He stifled a groan as Andrew hooked a surprisingly talented toe under the beltloop of Angel’s pants. He slid them over the vampire’s hips and watched as they dropped to the floor. Then he stared at the vampire’s face.

“That was pretty smooth, Andrew,” he said after a moment.

“Thanks!” the boy said eagerly. “It’s the only trick I can do, but…” He stopped, as if realizing he shouldn’t be talking at a time like this. His eyes traveled to the pile of clothes on the floor in front of him.

Angel stood still, trapped between desire and obsessive-compulsive need. He knew the kid wanted to be taken right there--thrown against the chair, or maybe the desk, and fucked senseless. There was only one thing holding Angel back.

Armani. The name alone said wealth. The pants puddled at his feet cost more than he paid Andrew in a month. That thought sent another guilty pang through his chest. No chance of blissful happiness in this office tonight. His eyes flickered to the expensive fabric at his feet and then to the panting boy before him.

“Geez, Angel. Just fold them fast, okay?” Andrew said, rolling his eyes in frustration. Angel’s compulsive habits were the first thing he had been educated about when he started working at Wolfram & Hart. He dropped his foot, which *had* been edging toward Angel’s boxers, to the ground and pouted.

Using what vampire speed he could, given the circumstances, Angel swept the pile of expensive clothes into a neat pile on his desk and quickly began folding them.

“Get started, Andrew,” he suddenly commanded.

“What?”

“Get started. Start without me. I’ll be ready in a second, so…” His eyes flickered to the softening length that was being neglected in the expensive chair. Andrew looked confused for a moment, then hesitant. “Now, Andrew!” Angel growled gently and he watched as the kid’s eyes got wide with wanting.

Andrew brought one hand to his cock and began to stroke at it tentatively. Angel doubted the kid was used to jerking off with an audience. It was a good thing that Angel didn’t intend to let him get that far. Clothes folded, he turned to watch. Andrew’s eyes locked on his and his strokes intensified. He let his head roll back against the chair and his legs splayed wide, allowing Angel a better view.

Even if Angel had wanted to remain the cool and impartial member of this gift-giving team, he couldn’t have. Watching Andrew was enough to throw away any doubts or hesitations that he might have had. Angel dropped his boxers to the ground, overcome with his own desire. In only a few quick steps he was across the room and mounting the sturdy armchair. He yanked hard at the necktie still dangling at Andrew’s chest and crushed his mouth with a bruising kiss. Andrew met the vampire’s kisses hungrily and Angel was pleased. He moved to whisper throatily in Andrew’s ear.

“I’m going to suck you now, Andrew. I just thought you should know. I know you want me to fuck you, and I will,” Angel bit at Andrew’s earlobe with his blunt human teeth and the blond boy groaned, “but I want to suck you first. Is that okay, Andrew?” He repeated the boy’s name for emphasis. Yes, I am one cheap vampire porn star, he though to himself. Spike would be so proud of his grandsire.

Andrew nodded and whispered a small, “Okay.” Angel smiled and began trailing kisses down the front of Andrew’s chest and collarbone. He slid from the chair and knelt before it, pulling Andrew to the edge. He gave an inward chuckle when he realized that this was the chair Gunn always sat in for Wolfram & Hart pow-wows. If Gunn only knew…

Angel slid between the outstretched legs and kissed a trail up Andrew’s thigh. When he reached the leaking tip of Andrew’s member, he licked it quickly. The kid groaned and Angel moved to kiss his other knee, trailing kisses up the neglected leg and toward the dripping prize.

Andrew was already close to coming. Angel could smell it. Ah, to be barely-twenty again… In one quick move he took Andrew’s cock into his mouth and sucked gently. He felt the youthful body under him thrust into his mouth. Angel ran his hand up Andrew’s sides and let his thumbs trail over the tiny pink orbs of his nipples. He watched as the kid’s eyes danced around the room, swimming with desire. Then, when he noticed the vampire’s scrutiny, he locked eyes with Angel. The vampire took him in swiftly, swallowing him to the root and burying his nose in sandy blond curls.

The sight was enough to send Andrew swiftly into his climax. Andrew shuddered happily, spilling his fluid into the waiting mouth. Angel suckled him clean and waited as the human caught his breath. Without a word, the vampire crossed to the desk and lifted the cup of lukewarm blood. With a nod to his assistant, he tipped the mug to his lips and began to drink. As the viscous fluid entered his body, he felt his dick, which had begun to soften with inattention, revive. By the time Angel had finished the mug, his engorged member was pressing insistently against his belly.

Andrew saw it, too. Sweating and still panting, the kid tried to stand but stumbled briefly before Angel caught him. Andrew gave him an embarrassed but grateful smile. The vampire wrapped his hand around the dangling tie and once again pulled at the boy. He led Andrew across the room, using the tie as a leash. With the fabric still firmly in his hand, he used his other to shove the, admittedly unimportant, documents off of his desk. They spun through the air and floated to the ground like large, dry snowflakes, but what the hell. Angel knew Andrew liked things to be theatrical. He turned to the kid, indicating the blank spot on the desk.

“I’m going to fuck you here, Andrew. I’m going to bend you over this desk and fuck you now. Is that what you want? Is that what you like to hear?” He leaned in to take the blond boy’s hand and brought it to his aching cock. “I’m going to put this inside you and fuck you until we both come, Andrew. Do you want that? Do you want me to screw you until you scream?” And the Porn Academy Award goes to…

Andrew nodded. Angel didn’t need to ask what the kid liked, really. The boy’s scent said it all— had been saying it all in the months that he’d known him. Angel knew that this thin, trembling boy before him was a man of many words just as Angel was a man of few. It was one of the things that, while annoying, Angel found endearing.

“Turn around, Andrew.” The kid did as he was told, and Angel ran a large, rough hand up the length of Andrew’s spine, stopping to wrap his fingers around the back his fragile neck. He pushed gently against it and Andrew began bending over. Angel ran his hands across the boy’s arms and moved them until they were spread eagle across the large, wooden desk. Then he let his hand trail back down the pale body and over slim hips to the round globes of an admittedly perfect ass. Baggy suits and cargo pants had been hiding quite a nice surprise, Angel noted before squeezing gently. The vampire knelt behind Andrew and left a hard, wet bite with blunt teeth on each cheek before standing and reaching for the lube.

Andrew yelped happily and then said, “I’m ready, Angel. You can, you know. You can fuck me. And you don’t have to wait or anything. I mean, I know that vampires can go a long time. I mean, I read that. I didn’t, like, looking it up on the Demon Database or anything. But the point is, you know. You can—“ Angel silenced him by pulling the ugly tie up around his face and gagging him. The vampire synched it tight and pulled on it experimentally. Andrew’s head was pulled back and Angel made a quick evaluation. The kid’s pheromone levels were phenomenally high and there were traces of anxiety, but no fear. A perfect combination.

He dispensed a generous amount of lube to his hand and slicked his dick quickly, snickering to himself about Vampire Urban Legends—Angel was barely holding on as it was. He moved quickly, sliding one wet finger into the small puckered hole before him. Andrew groaned behind his gag and rocked toward the intrusive digit, forcing it deeper.

Angel soon added a second finger and bent low over the boy, barely containing himself. He wanted so desperately to impale the boy on his aching cock but despite his arousing words, Angel knew he would have to go slow. He continued to work his fingers in the boy while leaving wet kisses and small bites over the smooth field of skin. Wrapping his hand around Andrew’s waist, he took the boy’s half-hard cock in his hand and tugged slowly, eliciting another happy whimper from the boy spread prone on his desk. The vampire added a third finger and felt Andrew shudder nervously. He hushed the boy softly and nuzzled the tender skin of his shoulder. Andrew relaxed and Angel withdrew his fingers to prepare himself.

He pressed his slick cock to Andrew’s entrance and then whispered to the boy, “Are you sure, Andrew?” There were no sexy words or staged growls now. Angel had to know. Andrew turned his face, gag still in place, and nodded enthusiastically. With Angel’s concern satisfied, he took the tie in his hand and pulled gently on the makeshift leash as he slowly sank into the waiting body.

The necktie muffled Andrew’s blissful outcry, but Angel didn’t want to take any chances. “Do you like that, Andrew?” he asked, causing the boy to quiet himself in order to hear what Angel was saying. “Do you like my dick inside of you? Do you like me fucking you?” When Andrew didn’t answer, just writhed against the mahogany desk, Angel tugged on the gag. “Answer me, boy! I said, do you like me fucking you?”

The blond boy nodded his head so rapidly that Angel feared he would hit it against the hard wood and pass out. Angel resumed stroking and had to admit that the picture before him was truly amazing. He sped up his thrusts, nearing his climax. “Do you know how you look right now, Andrew? Do you?” Andrew shook his head. “You look fucking amazing. Beautiful…I’ve got one hand on your leash, boy, and the other one on your cock.”

Andrew’s arousal intensified and he could do no more than give off deep, ragged pants. Angel continued to thrust and then gasped as his orgasm overtook him. He came in strangely shuddering pants deep inside the quivering boy.

The vampire let go of his makeshift leash and let his body drape over the young man as his other hand continued to stroke Andrew’s dick. He felt him shiver beneath him and then the kid was coming again.

They lay, exhausted, across the huge desk until Andrew was able to breathe normally. Then they stood, naked and awkward, in front of each other. Angel pulled the tie from Andrew’s mouth and lay it on his desk. He gently pulled the boy forward and pressed a kiss to his lips. Andrew met it so tenderly that it surprised Angel.

When their sweet kiss ended, Angel gathered Andrew’s clothes and began tugging on his own. “Sorry about your shirt,” Angel apologized as he helped Andrew put on his button-free garment.

“Don’t worry. That part was cool. I think I want to try that on *you* next time so don’t wear the Armani. Oh, and I think we should try the coffee table next time, too. It’s pretty sturdy.”

Angel’s head was swimming. What had he gotten himself into? “Andrew—“ he began, but the kid stopped him.

“I’m just kidding, Angel. I know that that was, you know. *It.* I’m cool.” Andrew fidgeted nervously and then bent to tie his shoes. With his ass in the air, Andrew presented quite a temptation. The vampire was ready to tell Andrew to meet him in his office the following night and every night, in fact, until the blood waiting in the refrigerator downstairs had been entirely consumed. It was a fair gift exchange, after all.

While Andrew moved to tie his other shoe, Angel entertained a few fantasies of his own. The coffee table did, indeed, look sturdy. And Wesley’s desk was almost larger than Angel’s was, though they would have to remove the simple enchantment Wesley had put on it after he’d caught Harmony and a chaos demon from I.T. using it.

Come to think of it, Angel’s own bed was big. Huge, in fact. The view from his room was amazing, too, and he knew Andrew would look stunning standing naked in the moonlight in front of that view. They could make love until dawn and then watch the sun rise over the city and maybe…

Angel’s reverie stopped.

His train of thought had led him to a very happy place. Unfortunately, a Very Happy Place was the one place the cursed vampire could never go.

Andrew finished tying his shoes and stood. He stacked the fallen papers on Angel’s desk while the vampire protested and then cleared the mug away. Angel smiled as he noticed something that Andrew had forgotten. “Your tie.” He held the striped abomination out toward the boy.

“Keep it.” Andrew smiled and then unlocked the heavy door and turned to the vampire. “Merry Christmas, Angel.” Then the kid was gone and Angel was left alone.

He brought the tie to his nose and breathed deeply of Andrew’s scent. He imagined moonlight, and cityscapes, and soft moans whispered in foreign locations. He imagined things he could never have, and things he almost had, and drew in the scent again. Then he folded the tie into a small, thick square and slid it into his bottom desk drawer.

“Merry Christmas, Andrew,” he whispered to no one in particular and then resumed working at his desk.

~*~The End~*~

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