Over the noise of his toothbrush, Collins managed to hear the door open and shut softly.

That sound was quickly followed by footsteps shuffling over to the couch. He was back almost 30 minutes early…not that Collins minded.

Hmmm. No announcement. That's strange…

Even so, he grinned. He took the toothbrush out of his mouth. He rinsed it off under the tap and set it down on the counter. Collins started to head out of the bathroom….then he caught a glance of himself in the mirror…

He realized that he'd forgotten one very important thing….

He still looked like Cujo.

Now, who in their right mind would wanna kiss that??

Chuckling quietly and nearly choking on the toothpaste still in his mouth, Collins walked over to the sink and bent down under the tap, rinsing his mouth out with cold water. He straightened up, wiped his mouth off with the back of his hand and started off down the hall.

"Hey, how is my lil' drummer boy?" Collins grinned brightly as he made it into the living room area.

Angel was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, gulping down some water. He smiled softly and set the glass down on the coffee table.

"Good morning, honey. How'd you sleep?"

"Fine, thanks!" Collins replied, flopping down onto the couch heavily. This made Angel bounce. "And I had the weirdest dream…"

"Well, why don't you tell me about it while I make some breakfast?"

"Sure!" Collins grinned widely.

Angel nodded and pushed himself off the couch and into a standing position.

"So, as I was sayin'…" Collins continued. He stopped suddenly, blinking. His eyes widened slightly. Something didn't feel right.

Angel just stood there. He had stopped after one step.

"Hey, Ang? Everything okay?"

The professor only got a soft groan in response. Then he noticed that Angel had started to sway…

"Oh, shit!" Collins hissed. He leaped up from the sofa and wrapped an arm around Angel's waist for support.

"Are you alright?" Collins asked him again. He tightened his grip on him.

Angel was leaning heavily against his lover.

"Yeah, I'm fine…it's just…" The Latino shook his head, looking somewhat dazed.

"Come on, I think you need to lie down."

Collins gently guided him back over to the sofa. He eased him down onto his back and crouched down, stroking his hair.

"What's the matter, baby?"

Angel shrugged. "Well, I've got a bit of a headache…"

Collins smiled inwardly, relieved it wasn't something worse. "A bit of a headache?? I could call in sick if you'd like…"

Angel shook his head, smiling wanly. "No, it's okay. I just took some painkillers so I should be fine."

"So," Collins leaned down and kissed his forehead. "Did anything happen this morning that upset you or…?"

"Not really. I just ran into a little trouble from this guy…" Angel looked a little nervous. He avoided eye contact.

Collins clenched his jaw, fighting hard to repress anger.

"Did he touch you?"

"Oh, no. No…nothing like that. Just the usual insults and remarks. This guy was a very unoriginal homophobic bastard."

Angel and Collins grinned at each other, feeling more at ease.

"And besides, it wasn't all bad. I made almost twenty dollars!"

"Still…maybe I should go out with you next time. I could be part of your act…I could do a dance to your drumming!" Collins winked at him.

Angel giggled, the mental picture he got in his head was hilarious.

"And I could wear my skull crushing heels…"

Collins grinned. He thought for a second.

"Hey, Ang? How did that asshole know you were gay if you weren't even in drag?"

Angel shrugged. "I really have no idea. Maybe he has a gaydar..."

Collins snorted. "A gaydar?"

"Yup. Or maybe it's my eyebrows…they're a dead giveaway. I just ooze gayness."

The two lovers shared a moment of laughter.

"So, are you still up for breakfast?"

Collins shook his head.

"I'm just gonna grab a bite to eat on the way to work."

"Honey, I can make you something really quick. I feel fine now."

Collins raised an eyebrow, smirking a little.

"Yeah, right."

"Really! I…what are you doing??"

Taking Angel's head in his hands, Collins pressed his thumbs into his temples. He began moving his thumbs in small, tight little circles.

"How does that feel?"

"Mmmm..." Angel blinked, feeling the tension and the dull ache begin to melt away. "You're gonna put me to sleep…"

Collins grinned and continued the massage with a steadily increasing pressure. He had the urge to hum something, but he didn't know what. Angel allowed his eyes to flutter shut.

"Well, you just go ahead then. Don't fight it."

Sure enough, Angel appeared to be asleep after several minutes.

Releasing his head, Collins glanced at his watch quickly. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to his lover's soft, smooth cheek.

"See you in a couple of hours, Angelcake." He whispered gently, seeing a faint smile come to Angel's face.

Collins carefully stood up and walked out the door, smiling slyly to himself.

After what just happened, he had no intention of going to work that day. He had better plans…like going down to the nearest flower shop and promptly returning home with a bouquet…

But Angel didn't need to know that. Not yet, at least. He'd hate to spoil the surprise.

THE END

A/N: Sappy, I know. Reviews are cherished! ;)