Doug & Angel (Backdated)

[x-firestar.livejournal.com]

Doug welcomes Angel home from England in the most appropriate-possible way - with food. And teasing. So much teasing.


Angel rocked back and forth on her heels as she stood outside, waiting for the sight of Doug's car coming down the driveway. A whole week separated her from the disastrous conversation with Chloe, and with the improved mood came the willingness to take advantage of Doug's earlier offer to take her out for a meal. Thankfully, the offer was still standing when she'd called Doug.

Doug pulled his sedan up the long driveway that led toward the front door of the mansion. He saw Angel waiting and hopped out as he left the car running. "Hey," he said as he waved to her. "I meant to be earlier, sorry." He hurried around the car to politely open the passenger door for her, then back around to take his seat behind the wheel. "Got any particular sort of place in mind?" he asked. The nice thing about having lived in the city was that he knew places for just about every type of cuisine and any sort of price range by now.

"Why thank you good sir," Angel said with a smile as she climbed into the car, buckling in. "And no worries." She stopped for a moment to think. What was she really in the mood for? "How about Chinese? It is strangely hard to find a good Chinese place in England."

Doug cocked an eyebrow. "Huh. I would have thought, London being as big as it is...maybe it's just curry as far as the eye can see?" He grinned. Taking an estimate of their respective level of dressiness (nice, but not overly so), he consulted his mental Rolodex of restaurants and found a likely candidate. "I know just the place," he told her as they pulled out of the gates and turned onto the road. "So how are you settling back into the madhouse?" he asked, determined to shift the topic to something less emotionally charged if it seemed like Angel was still struggling.

"Maybe I just didn't look hard enough. Chloe didn't like exotic that much..." Angel's voice drifted off for a moment before she quickly bounced back, unwilling to let herself fall back into that line of thinking. "It's been good, though. Great to be back, never a dull moment around there...well, you know what it's like. I talked to Mr. Summers last week about rejoining the X-Men."

Doug noted the brief pause at the mention of her old roommate, and decided to change the subject. "You missed some fun stuff," he told her with a wink. "My entire office got regressed to thinking we were all sixteen for a while there." Of course, that was some trauma of his own, but he did his best to cover that with a smile. "And you missed all sorts of gossip, including some about yours truly, I suppose."

Angel tilted her head for a moment, wondering which part to ask about first - the regression to sixteen or the gossip. Somehow, the gossip seemed like the safer way to go. "Gossip, huh? Been getting into some scandals while I was away, Doug?"

Doug shook his head. "Only the usual sort. Y'know, breaking hearts, I'm a total cad, that sort of thing." It was getting a little bit easier to make light of things. Not that he didn't feel bad for the relationship with Jubilee ending, but there was only so far one could stretch being an emo muppet. Even him.

"I'm almost afraid to ask." The amusement had waned a bit from Angel's voice. "Not that that's ever stopped me before. What in the world did you do? If you don't mind me asking. Of course even if you mind, I already asked, so I guess the only thing you can do now is choose whether to answer." And...she was babbling now.

Being Angel's language tutor had definitely accustomed Doug to her tendency to babble. It didn't really bother him at all. "Eh. Just a breakup, really. I'd been dating Jubilee for a while, but I was starting to realize she was way more serious about it than I was." He shrugged a shoulder. "I don't think there's ever really a -good- way for a breakup to go, the best you can hope for is not to hurt the other person -too- badly." He did feel bad about it, though, still.

"True enough," Angel agreed, remembering her own past relationships - all relationships couldn't end like hers and Julio's, unfortunately. "You did the best you could, it probably would have been a lot worse to string her along. Are you guys still speaking?"

"Well, I mean, we have to be around the office together. Other than that, not so much. Too recent, I guess, maybe. Too raw." And Doug hadn't pushed it, because he hadn't wanted to cause any more awkwardness. "I've been kind of trying to stay out of her way. I mean, I remember how that felt after Marie-Ange left. And then how it was when she came back." He pursed his lips. Somehow he felt like he was letting more show than he usually wanted to. But at least it was distracting Angel.

Maybe it was time to change the subject, Angel thought as she looked out the window at the passing scenery. He hadn't pushed her about Chloe, after all... "Well time heals all wounds, right? Stupid saying, but I hear it's true. So hey, where are we going anyways? Keep in mind this my first taste of Chinese food since I before I left, the expectations for it to be good are fairly high."

Doug let her change the subject, and was thankful for it. "I dunno about healing them all, but maybe time makes it so they don't hurt quite as bad." After all, Marie-Ange leaving him with a letter still hurt, down where he didn't talk about it much. "But that wouldn't make for nearly as good of a platitude."

He shook his head and put a hand to his chest. "I'm hurt, Angel. I haven't steered a single person wrong about restaurants yet!" It was something of a knack of his - between his power and how it gave him the ability to blend in to just about any situation, and his enjoyment of finding new places and good food, it was true that he hadn't steered anyone wrong yet.

Angel laughed, thoroughly enjoying the slightly lighter tone the conversation was taking on. Enough was enough with the serious. They were going to have a good time even if it killed them. "All right, all right, I trust you. Though I do believe you've just presented me with a challenge. Must add 'Not like a restaurant Doug recommends' to my to do list. Right after 'Write a to do list.' But that's another story entirely."

Doug snickered. "Write a to do list sounds like a good first step, yeah." He rather enjoyed Angel's straightforwardness and readiness to say whatever crossed her mind. It was nice after spending the entire day dealing with secrets and shades of meaning. "So, back to the black leather, huh?"

"That's the plan," Angel said with a grin. "I'll tell you though, I didn't miss Danger Room runs. Apparently being a superhero isn't quite like riding a bike - you can't jump right back in and still be amazing at it." It was far too nice to be home, Angel decided. As much as she'd enjoyed England, these weren't exactly conversations she could have had with any of her friends there. It was truly harder to be one's self when there was a part of you that other people weren't aware existed.

"Heh. More like riding a bicycle on a tightrope that's over a pool of sharks. With frickin' laser beams on their heads." Doug remembered the Danger Room too well from his own time in training. "Between Scott, Paige, and Special Inspector Garrison Kane of the Royal Canadian blah blah blah..." He shook his head. "Whole lot of sadism. I mean, uh, creative training minds." He winked at Angel.

"No, no," Angel disagreed, laughing. "I think you had it right the first time with sadism. Of course we're the fools that willingly put ourselves through it, so I shudder to think what that makes us."

Doug's eye twinkled. "By the technical definition, a masochist. And you should trust me on that, I'm a member of the Hellfire Club." He paused and cocked his head. "Though, if we're going by technical definitions, I suppose you'd have to get sexual enjoyment out of it."

"Well thank you for the disturbing string of mental images that are probably going to haunt my dream tonight." Angel pretended to shudder. She didn't want to imagine anyone actually getting any sexual enjoyment out of Danger Room runs. Although she could imagine a few that...ugh. No. She was definitely stopping those thoughts right there. "I swear to god if I have a nightmare it's your sorry butt I'm calling at three a.m."

Doug giggled mischievously at the expression on Angel's face. "And now you can't unsee it, can you?" He attempted to look serious, but failed when he said "Sharing is caring! I learned that in kindergarten!" He interrupted whatever disparaging thing Angel might have said next by noting "We're here," as he turned into a small parking lot behind the restaurant.

Any and all of Angel's answers were driven from her mind at the sight of the restaurant, replaced by an overpoweringly singular thought: FOOD. "You owe me double for the fact that I'm most likely going to spend all night curled up in a fetal position," she said brightly as she opened the car door and bounced out. "So no complaining when I order the entire menu!"

Doug shook his head at Angel's single-mindedness, and how quickly she shifted mental gears. "Hey, I know about shelling out for the mutant metabolism. I'm just glad that my job pays well." Being young, good-looking, and relatively affluent helped to blunt some of the more stressful or traumatizing parts of the job, to be certain. "So order away, o calorie-burning wonder." He held the door to the restaurant for her and waved to the host, clearly recognized as they were quickly shown to a table.

"Looks like someone has a well-known face," Angel said, grinning, as she sat down and grabbed the menu. "Order away, huh? You're going to regret that when I break your bank." They'd been in the restaurant for all of twenty seconds, and already her mouth was watering. Where to start, where to start. Lo-mein, for sure - one couldn't get Chinese without getting lo-mein...oooh, and dumplings...chicken...fried shrimp...

"Emma Frost writes my paychecks, I'm pretty sure even your appetite can't break that bank." Doug set his menu aside without looking at it. He was regular enough that he had a 'usual' order, which generally consisted of whatever devil's brew of ingredients the kitchen felt like inflicting on the gwai lo who could practically pass for a native if it weren't for the white skin.

Another waiter happened by and greeted Doug in rapid-fire Cantonese, which he returned easily until Jubilee's name was mentioned and a shadow crossed his face. He said a few more subdued sentences, and the waiter replied with what sounded like an apology. "Sorry, I just realized that I hadn't come here since the breakup, so it was news to everyone here."

Angel tilted her head - she hadn't followed one funny word of the chatter - but she'd definitely caught Jubilee's name. Ouch. "It's all right..." Quick, Angel, subject change. Don't let him get sad. "Okay, I give up. What do you recommend?"

Doug did his best to shake off the impending mope. You're here with someone else, don't ruin her evening by being an emo muppet, he instructed himself mentally. Breakups happened, after all, and he'd been the one to instigate this one. He pushed Angel's menu to the table, and this time when he engaged the waiter in Cantonese, and Jubilee's name came up, it wasn't a downer. When the waiter left, he explained. "I told him you put away food the same way Jubilee, or Marie-Ange's cousin, or the other energy projectors can." He grinned. "Mostly when I come to places that know me, I just let them pick whatever is good that night. So we'll get a lot of food, and a lot of different stuff, and it'll be awesome. Promise."

Angel beamed, rather proud of herself for once again effectively changing the topic of conversation. As long as they could spend the rest of the night avoiding anything that had to do with relationships, foreign countries, or things ending, then it might just be possible for both of them to have a good evening. Of course, that didn't leave too many avenues of discussion...

Well there was always food. "Great, I'm holding you to that one. I want to walk out of this restaurant absolutely stuffed."

Doug couldn't resist wiggling his eyebrows at Angel. "So many innuendos to make, so little time," he murmured with a mischievous wink. "So, did all the school paperwork get sorted out, or do you need any questionably legal plausibly deniable help with it?" he asked. Of course, depending on the situation, her answer might not keep him from doing anything. Doug tended to have strong opinions about the well-being of his friends.

Angel rolled her eyes, trying not to smile. That would just encourage him. "Get your mind out of the gutter. As for school...I have a feeling I'm just going to be taking incompletes for all the work I didn't finish in England, and finishing the classes for credit next semester. Which means I'm probably going to end up doing double the workload for a couple of months, if I want to have any hope of graduating on time. No danger of me being dropped out though, at least. No hacking necessary." She paused for a moment before adding, "Though if my adviser gives me too many more problems, I might not say no to someone wandering into the school's system and modifying her employee file a bit...."

Doug leaned forward conspiratorially. "Doug Ramsey's Under The Table Hacking For Great Justice is open for business," he told Angel as he rubbed his hands together. "All I need's a target. Did you have anything in mind? And are we talking mild annoyance, official reprimand, or run out of town on a rail, here?"

Angel grinned, crossing her arms on the table as she leaned in as well. "Well that depends on how much more trouble she gives me, I think. Mild annoyance if this gets resolved by tomorrow, run out of town on a rail if this is something we're still arguing about next week - and I'm sure we will be. Do I have to come up with ideas on what to put in her file, or is that a service your great company provides?"

"Oh, my company is full service," Doug told her with another shameless wiggle of the eyebrow. He couldn't resist teasing her, because she was so good natured in general, and so willing to let herself be ridiculous if the situation warranted. "Okay, so start small and ramp up. That's totally doable. By the end, if it goes that far, technology will absolutely hate her."

Angel clapped her hands together, beaming. "Brilliant. Pointedly ignoring sexual innuendos," despite the fact that she was cracking up on the inside, "but brilliant nonetheless. If it gets too bad, is there any way to get her on an FBI most wanted list? Or CIA? Or...I don't know, what's the worst most wanted list to be on?"

Doug could see the amusement in Angel's body language, so he just shook his head slightly and grinned more at her claim that she was ignoring the sexual innuendos. Besides, he was having too much fun to stop. He supposed he considered it a fun way to continue teasing her about the time she'd come to his office and done everything but the cartoon bulging eyes at him, when she'd been in the middle of her 'I have a crush on EVERY BOY' phase. "The worst most wanted list? Probably Remy's. Or Pete's," he said with a smirk. His bosses were dangerous people to cross, that was for sure. "But in lieu of that, we'll just do a grab bag of intelligence agencies. I mean, I certainly wouldn't want the Mossad coming to talk to me..."

"Ooooh, we're going outside the country?" Angel asked, delighted. "Because I happen to know she has an intense fear of Russia. Not exactly sure why - something about Soviets and communism...she's a little tapped in the head." Even under threat of torture, Angel would never admit just how much fun she was having with this - both with the plotting against her adviser, and yes, even the teasing.

"Maybe not Russia," Doug said as he considered it. "I mean, I know a couple of them personally, and...yeah." Somehow he didn't want to picture what might happen if Vazhin were to ever catch wind of Doug sneaking someone onto an FSB hit list just for the lulz. And that wasn't even touching his own personal Russian bogey...thing. It was difficult to think of Mastermold as female, even if she'd started out that way. And then there was Mr. Barnes' daughter... "Matter of fact, Russia's just better to steer clear of," he declared.

"All right, no Russia," Angel ceded with a sigh. She wasn't exactly in a position to be protesting - they were talking about highly illegal activities, after all. "I'll have to find out if she has any other irrational fears of countries that we can exploit."

Their food arrived after that, nearly every available square inch covered by some kind of plate or condiment. The kitchen had clearly taken Doug's assessment of Angel's appetite seriously. The next few minutes were quiet, occupied with serving up portions and tasting things. "So?" Doug asked Angel with a raised eyebrow. "Did I lead you astray?"

Angel was far too busy stuffing her mouth to form a cohesive response. "Mfmffff," she managed to say after a moment, struggling to swallow. Did Doug know the Heimlich? She was probably going to need it soon. "Your judgment is greater than God's," she finally managed to say with a grin before immediately diving back into the food.

Doug's eyes twinkled mischievously. He waited until Angel had taken another large bite, then asked "So does that mean you'll be taking my name in vain later? 'Oh Doug'?" The breathless cast he gave to the last part made it quite clear what sort of activity he meant she'd be engaged in while taking his name in vain.

Of course, he said that right when Angel was trying to swallow - she nearly choked. "Jeez, Doug!" She managed to gasp, unable to keep from feeling just a bit embarrassed that he'd caught her off guard. Damn he was good. She took a quick second to think about a response. "You know, next time you want to offer me sexual favors, could you at least wait until I don't have a mouth full of a food?"

Doug waited the half second for Angel to warily pick up her water glass and take a sip before launching another salvo. "Would you rather have a mouthful of something else?" he asked with a smirk.

Oh they were going to play that game. How hilariously dangerous. A coy smile played around Angel's lips as she rested her elbows on the table. Time to play with fire. "Careful there, or I may just take you up on that offer. Don't want to be making promises you can't keep now, do you?"

Doug leaned forward, mirroring Angel's body language. His eyes stayed on hers, and his voice lowered. "Angel, I'm the White Knight of the Hellfire Club. I don't make promises I can't keep about those sorts of things." He winked at her playfully. "And just like with restaurants, I've never left someone...unsatisfied."

"Oh, of course." Angel raised her eyebrows a bit, smirking. "How silly of me to assume otherwise. Are you sure you can live up to your title though, oh great White Knight?"

Doug shook his head in reply. "I think the better question is, what makes you think -you- can keep up with -me-, hm, Miss Angelica?" He grinned and picked up a dumpling, popping it in his mouth and continuing to grin cockily as he chewed, his eyes never straying from hers.

"Now that sounds like a challenge," Angel replied with a cocky grin of her own. "Perhaps I should add 'Doug' to my 'To Do' list." Let him make of that what he would, Angel thought as she picked up her water for another sip, careful not to break eye contact.

Getting a third spit-take/choking fit out of Angel was probably not going to happen. She'd be on her guard now. So Doug went with the more direct route. "Well, my schedule -does- seem to be open for the foreseeable future..." he murmured, wondering just how far she was willing to take this.

A voice in the back of Angel's head was screaming Danger, danger, danger! at top volume. They were without a doubt playing with fire now - and if she wasn't careful, she was definitely going to get burned. She took an extra, unnecessary few seconds to sip her water and consider her options. On the one hand, she was having far too much fun to let this go now. And she'd never been one to back down from a challenge. On the other hand...it was Doug. It was Doug who, no matter who had ended his and Jubilee's relationship, was definitely still on the rebound. And while flirting was certainly fun (and well earned fun, at that), it would have been far too dangerous to let it go past that. She loved Doug in the most platonic possible way, and doing anything to mess up that friendship would just be...bad.

Angel set her cup aside. "I don't know how your schedule can be so free," she said, smiling just a bit, "considering you're supposed to be helping me technologically torture my adviser."

Doug could definitely see the line their conversation had been approaching, and he could also see Angel steering away from it. And that was probably for the best, really. As much as Doug was the sort to push a line and see just how far he could take things sometimes, he wouldn't cross it and risk losing a friendship. And whether or not he wanted to admit it, he _was_ on the rebound. And that hadn't exactly turned out great for him the last time, in the long run. So he leaned back just a bit, wordlessly breaking the charged tension that had been building. "Oh, I'm good at multitasking," he said with a matching smile, and without the same intensity as just a few seconds ago.

Besides, this was better. This way Kyle wouldn't kick his ass.

Angel responded with a beam and a laugh. She was already moving on. The flirting had been fun, but all good things must come to an end, right? "Well if I've learned anything, it's probably not to doubt your skills." She grabbed a dumpling, popping into her mouth and making a noise of delight. "Or at least your restaurant-finding ability."