@hellsflowered said:
''angel, please...'' Pale hands enfold the hands of the sinner, while black nails delicately graze the soft fluff of the wrists. Charlie gazes upward at angel, her countenance marked by authentic apprehension. ''I just want to help you.. I hate to see you come here in a bad mood and lock yourself up until you feel better. I'm here to listen-- I'll ALWAYS be here to listen! just don't... hide from me..''
Angel could hardly bring himself to look at his friend, and he wasn't even sure whether his avoidance was stemming from shame at being caught like this, or anger at the Princess for her attempt to help.
He wished he'd been sneaky enough to get to his room without anyone seeing, but the sobs he was biting back and his liquor-induced stumbles did nothing but draw attention his way. Of course Charlie had noticed, and there was nothing he could do about it now.
Hell, he hadn't even bothered changing this time, and still wore his robe from work.
Angel's first instinct was to yank his hands away from hers and curse at her again, like he had that day in the studio. He didn't, though. He'd promised himself that he wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Even though it was difficult for him to get it through his thick skull, he knew that Charlie cared about him, and that her intentions were pure.
He didn't want to push her away any more than he already had.
"I dunno, Charles... this ain't really the type'a stuff ya talk about at parties," Angel mustered, but whether or not he was actually trying to make a joke out of it was unknown even to him. He just wanted it to seem like 'not a big deal' so that Charlie could go about her evening and leave him to cry alone in his room. "It's just Val bein' Val again. Nothin' I ain't been through before. I can handle it."