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31_days2008-10-04 09:12 pm
a-white-rain.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2008-10-04 09:12 pm
[October 04, 2008] [Angel] Stripes
Title: Stripes
Day/Theme: October 4. where the wild things are
Series: Angel
Character/Pairing: Angel, Connor, Fred, Wesley, Cordy; Buffy/Angel
Rating: G
Notes: Other parts of this AU listed here
When Connor got home from school, instead of holding papers like he normally did, he was carrying a tabby kitten. His chin buried in the fur on top of its forehead, he said to his dad, as any self-respecting seven-year-old would, "Can I keep him?"
Not quite able to tell him no yet, Angel asked, "Where did you find him?"
"He was there when I got off the bus," Connor said. "And it followed me. I think it's decided I'm his new owner. Please?"
Angel walked over to the counter to get a glass from the cabinet in order to pour his son a glass of milk he usually drunk everyday, "How do you know it doesn't belong to anyone else?"
"I just do," Connor said matter-of-factly. Petting one of the kitten's legs, he said again, "Please? With a cherry on top?"
Angel turned around and was hit full force with Connor's best puppy-dog eyes. It didn't help that the kitten really was adorable; it was tiny with gray and white fur and covered in darker gray and black stripes with large green eyes. And neither Cordeila or Wesley, the only ones that could actually say no to the kid, were around at the moment.
Pressing the kitten closer to his chest, Connor dealt the final blow that defeated Angel's defenses. "I already named him. Stripes!" The kitten purred and nuzzled against Connor's neck.
Angel walked over to the table and set the glass on it. He then turned to face Connor, folded his arms, and said as firmly as he could manage, "First we find out if he belongs to someone else. If - if - he doesn't, then we'll talk."
"You're the best daddy in the world!" Connor said and darted out of the kitching, saying, "I don't have any homework, so I'm just going to go to my room and play with him."
"Did I just see Connor with a kitten?" Fred asked as Angel put the glass of milk back into the refrigerator; absently planning to give it to him for dinner.
"Yes," Angel said.
Fred gave him a bright smile. "It's so adorable. Does it have a name yet?"
"Stripes," Angel said. "But don't get too attached yet. I haven't said yes yet, and he might have an owner already."
Fred's jaw dropped. "Why are you telling me not to get attached when there seven-year-old boy upstairs who already thinks of the cat as his? It will break his heart if he can't keep it!"
At the thought of his son in any sort of pain at all, Angel began to pace. "What if we just... forgot to look and see if it has an owner?"
"And make some other poor child miserable without his or her her kitten?" Fred asked sharply, setting her hands on her hips. "Do you know what kind of person would do that?" Fred began to pace around the kitchen, forcing Angel to stop and lean against a wall instead so she could move around because Fred pace around in circles instead of back-and-forth. "A monster, that's what!" She faced him, her eyes shinning. "Do you want to be that?"
"It's not - no. What else can I do?" Angel asked.
Before she could answer, Cordelia walked into the kitchen with Wesley behind her, saying, "Well, that was a bust."
"A bust would have been more helpful," Wesley replied.
"Well we'll just have to put the case on hold," Fred said and motioned for Angel, Cordelia and Wesley to sit down with her arms.
"What's going on?" Coredelia asked they she sat down.
"Connor has a cat," Angel said as both Wesley and Cordelia down, "And it was cute and he already named it Stripes. You try and say no to that." Giving Wesley a pointed look he said, "And, besides, it will teach him responsibility."
"Why on earth would we say no?" Wesley asked. He added, his voice drifting off slightly, like it often did when they were talking about Connor. "Children should have pets."
"It's not like we live on a hellmouth where it can turn into a five-foot monster," Coredelia said and when the rest of them gave her curious looks, she said, waving her hands, "Don't ask."
"Guys, we're getting way off track," Fred said. "Stripes might already have a home and Stripes not even be his real name. And we need to find out fast. The longer Connor is with him, the harder it will be on him."
"We'll be sure to draw up fliers right away," Wesley assured her.
-
"It has been a whole week," Connor said, walking into Angel's room without knocking, the kitten in his arms. "Can I keep him for good?"
"I really don't think there's a time limit on this," Angel said, setting down the papers he was looking at to give his son his full attention and to ruffle his hair, which Angel knew Connor only allowed because he wanted something, but was inclined to take advantage of it in spite of that fact.
"We're a family now," Connor said as he pressed his cheek against the kitten's fur, which the kitten allowed without a fuss. "And we're hurting his feelings if we keep this up." Cradling the kitten closer to his chest, he said, "It's not fair to him if we keep doing this."
From the look in his eyes, Angel knew he meant every word.
"If I say yes," Angel asked. "Will you be able to keep in mind that might change if we find out it has another owner?"
Connor squared his shoulders. "I can."
"Then I guess that's a yes," Angel said.
"Great!" Connor said cheerfully. "I'm going to get Uncle Wesley to take me to the store now. He promised to buy Stripes toys if you said we could keep him."
Angel watched his son run out of the room and wasn't sure if he felt sorry for Wesley, or smug about the fact that Connor finally found a weakness he could exploit mercilessly; Wesley's lectures on spoiling Connor would lose all its power if he spoiled Connor as well.
"Did I just see Connor with a cat?" Buffy asked.
Angel looked up. Buffy was leaning against his door, grinning at him.
"You did," Angel confirmed as he stood up and walked over to her. Lifting up her chin with his thumb, he asked, "When did you get in?"
"Few hours ago," Buffy said.
Angel reached over to close the bedroom door to allow some them some privacy. "How long will you'll be able to say?"
"Only a few days," Buffy said. "So you should really make the most of it."
"I plan to," Angel said and kissed her.
Day/Theme: October 4. where the wild things are
Series: Angel
Character/Pairing: Angel, Connor, Fred, Wesley, Cordy; Buffy/Angel
Rating: G
Notes: Other parts of this AU listed here
When Connor got home from school, instead of holding papers like he normally did, he was carrying a tabby kitten. His chin buried in the fur on top of its forehead, he said to his dad, as any self-respecting seven-year-old would, "Can I keep him?"
Not quite able to tell him no yet, Angel asked, "Where did you find him?"
"He was there when I got off the bus," Connor said. "And it followed me. I think it's decided I'm his new owner. Please?"
Angel walked over to the counter to get a glass from the cabinet in order to pour his son a glass of milk he usually drunk everyday, "How do you know it doesn't belong to anyone else?"
"I just do," Connor said matter-of-factly. Petting one of the kitten's legs, he said again, "Please? With a cherry on top?"
Angel turned around and was hit full force with Connor's best puppy-dog eyes. It didn't help that the kitten really was adorable; it was tiny with gray and white fur and covered in darker gray and black stripes with large green eyes. And neither Cordeila or Wesley, the only ones that could actually say no to the kid, were around at the moment.
Pressing the kitten closer to his chest, Connor dealt the final blow that defeated Angel's defenses. "I already named him. Stripes!" The kitten purred and nuzzled against Connor's neck.
Angel walked over to the table and set the glass on it. He then turned to face Connor, folded his arms, and said as firmly as he could manage, "First we find out if he belongs to someone else. If - if - he doesn't, then we'll talk."
"You're the best daddy in the world!" Connor said and darted out of the kitching, saying, "I don't have any homework, so I'm just going to go to my room and play with him."
"Did I just see Connor with a kitten?" Fred asked as Angel put the glass of milk back into the refrigerator; absently planning to give it to him for dinner.
"Yes," Angel said.
Fred gave him a bright smile. "It's so adorable. Does it have a name yet?"
"Stripes," Angel said. "But don't get too attached yet. I haven't said yes yet, and he might have an owner already."
Fred's jaw dropped. "Why are you telling me not to get attached when there seven-year-old boy upstairs who already thinks of the cat as his? It will break his heart if he can't keep it!"
At the thought of his son in any sort of pain at all, Angel began to pace. "What if we just... forgot to look and see if it has an owner?"
"And make some other poor child miserable without his or her her kitten?" Fred asked sharply, setting her hands on her hips. "Do you know what kind of person would do that?" Fred began to pace around the kitchen, forcing Angel to stop and lean against a wall instead so she could move around because Fred pace around in circles instead of back-and-forth. "A monster, that's what!" She faced him, her eyes shinning. "Do you want to be that?"
"It's not - no. What else can I do?" Angel asked.
Before she could answer, Cordelia walked into the kitchen with Wesley behind her, saying, "Well, that was a bust."
"A bust would have been more helpful," Wesley replied.
"Well we'll just have to put the case on hold," Fred said and motioned for Angel, Cordelia and Wesley to sit down with her arms.
"What's going on?" Coredelia asked they she sat down.
"Connor has a cat," Angel said as both Wesley and Cordelia down, "And it was cute and he already named it Stripes. You try and say no to that." Giving Wesley a pointed look he said, "And, besides, it will teach him responsibility."
"Why on earth would we say no?" Wesley asked. He added, his voice drifting off slightly, like it often did when they were talking about Connor. "Children should have pets."
"It's not like we live on a hellmouth where it can turn into a five-foot monster," Coredelia said and when the rest of them gave her curious looks, she said, waving her hands, "Don't ask."
"Guys, we're getting way off track," Fred said. "Stripes might already have a home and Stripes not even be his real name. And we need to find out fast. The longer Connor is with him, the harder it will be on him."
"We'll be sure to draw up fliers right away," Wesley assured her.
-
"It has been a whole week," Connor said, walking into Angel's room without knocking, the kitten in his arms. "Can I keep him for good?"
"I really don't think there's a time limit on this," Angel said, setting down the papers he was looking at to give his son his full attention and to ruffle his hair, which Angel knew Connor only allowed because he wanted something, but was inclined to take advantage of it in spite of that fact.
"We're a family now," Connor said as he pressed his cheek against the kitten's fur, which the kitten allowed without a fuss. "And we're hurting his feelings if we keep this up." Cradling the kitten closer to his chest, he said, "It's not fair to him if we keep doing this."
From the look in his eyes, Angel knew he meant every word.
"If I say yes," Angel asked. "Will you be able to keep in mind that might change if we find out it has another owner?"
Connor squared his shoulders. "I can."
"Then I guess that's a yes," Angel said.
"Great!" Connor said cheerfully. "I'm going to get Uncle Wesley to take me to the store now. He promised to buy Stripes toys if you said we could keep him."
Angel watched his son run out of the room and wasn't sure if he felt sorry for Wesley, or smug about the fact that Connor finally found a weakness he could exploit mercilessly; Wesley's lectures on spoiling Connor would lose all its power if he spoiled Connor as well.
"Did I just see Connor with a cat?" Buffy asked.
Angel looked up. Buffy was leaning against his door, grinning at him.
"You did," Angel confirmed as he stood up and walked over to her. Lifting up her chin with his thumb, he asked, "When did you get in?"
"Few hours ago," Buffy said.
Angel reached over to close the bedroom door to allow some them some privacy. "How long will you'll be able to say?"
"Only a few days," Buffy said. "So you should really make the most of it."
"I plan to," Angel said and kissed her.