You weren't exactly sure what had transpired the night Angel found you, your memory effectively blank from the moment you passed out in your blond savior's arms until the morning after when you woke up tucked beneath him in his bed. Needless to say, waking beneath the bare chest of a momentarily unidentified stranger after your traumatizing night was initially quite distressing, and Angel got the brunt of it when he woke up to your visibly and audibly terrified self flailing around in his sheets at around four in the morning.

Jumping to put his first responder training to work, he was quick to help ground you and remind you that you weren't with Oakley anymore– you were safe, and with a trusted friend. His sweet words and soft tone managed to quell your anxiety and quiet your sobs at first, only for your tears to return more sorrowfully as you began to recall the events leading up to your disastrous dinner with Oakely– namely your fallout with Angel, in which he'd brought his status as a 'safe' and 'trusted' friend into question.

Angel struggled much more to calm you down this time, as you were quite confusingly torn between still wanting space from him and simultaneously still seeking his comfort. Navigating these conflicting feelings was apparently challenging enough for him to consider calling for 'backup', but things only got worse for him when he'd suggested calling up Megistos, as the mention of your estranged best friend pushed you to a level of hysterics that had Angel blinking back his own tears as he failed to placate you.

Hours of your external and his internal breakdowns later, you both eventually consoled yourselves enough to communicate effectively again. He gently interrogated you about all that had occurred with Oakley, trying to determine whether he was an active threat to your safety, and you sniffled through your answers as best you could. After your more coherent recap of the night's events, Angel's initial response was once again to involve Megistos in crafting up a plan for moving forward, but you pleaded with him not to, unprepared to face James after you'd acted so unthinkingly despite his warnings. Begrudgingly, Angel complied with your wish, though only on the condition that you immediately fired Oakley and went no contact with him.

You did as he asked, ignoring the strange sense of personal victory that seemed to exude from Angel as your thumb tapped 'send' on the decisive text, and you requested he take you back home so you could prepare to open up shop. He'd pressed you on this choice too, but you couldn't let one awry night derail you from your adult responsibilities, so soon enough you were standing next to him on your street, Francesca's standing tall and imposing before you. It was as Angel took the shop key from your trembling hand to unlock the doors for you all while suggesting he take off work to stick around that another internal conflict began to surface within you.

You were endlessly grateful that Angel had found you the night before and had taken you in, but in your weakened state you had sent him extremely contradictory signals regarding your personal boundaries that resulted in him being a bit too touchy with you again. In your regained clarity, you wanted to kindly reject his offer and pull back from him– both physically and emotionally– but it wasn't as easy as it sounded. As things were, your fear of Oakley overshadowed your mistrust and hurt regarding Angel, and you weren't sure how you'd manage this overwhelming anxiety throughout an entire shift without the aid of the hero's support.

Still, you steeled your resolve and ended up sending him away when Montell arrived unexpectedly early for his shift, providing you with his own sense of comfort you hoped would be enough to pacify your nerves. Of course, tragedy had to strike again in the form of a very sinister and ominous text you received from your ex-employee shortly after opening that quickly triggered another panic attack. From your hiding spot curled up in the back room, you managed to send a frantic text asking Angel to return ASAP. It was there you waited in a puddle of your own tears while Montell wordlessly took up running the shop, and though Oakley never showed up during the workday, neither did Angel.

It was rather unfortunate in a backward sort of way that the winged hero had grown more disciplined in his job lately, since it meant that he didn't check his phone until he was allowed to at his shift's end. He was still your attentive, clingy friend at the end of the day though, so as soon as he did see your text, he was beelining through the sky back to the shop. The minute he happened upon your petrified forms like some perfect symbol of security, you were all too quick to forgo your boundaries again as you latched onto him, and he was all too quick to fly you back to his place where he could ensure your comfort within in his tight embrace.

The morning after was, quite unsurprisingly, rough. No alcohol had aided in your slumber this time, so you were still an exhausted, uneasy mess even after Angel bought you a coffee on your way back to Francesca's. This miserably anxious way of living wasn't sustainable– you knew it wasn't– but you were too drained to see a healthier alternative yourself and too embarrassed to ask someone else for long-term assistance. All you could do was try to act better than you felt, something that had worked fine enough for many a time before, though admittedly not in such a serious situation as this.

Luckily for you, the high schoolers were your scheduled employees of the day, and while they both certainly lacked in the actual florist aspect of their jobs, they were pretty effective distractions from the sinking feeling in your stomach all day. You hadn't turned your phone back on since the day prior either, so any menacing messages from Oakley went unseen by you.

Despite what a mental health professional (or anyone with common sense, really) might say, your push-everything-down method worked great! Between the actual job and sorting out the chaotic teens throughout the course of the day, you felt more at ease than you had since that night's disastrous dinner– so much so that when you took your break at around two in the afternoon, you felt you'd be able to successfully catch up a bit on sleep by taking a quick cat nap in the back.

The teens assured you they'd manage the place in your short absence and wake you up in your requested fifteen minutes or so as they ushered you to the backroom table, and sure enough, as soon as your head tucked comfortably into your arms atop the cool surface, you were out like a light. It was in this position that you woke up to the sound of frantic whispers around you, though you were still too groggy to truly make sense of the conversation.

"...seriously so off!" a high-pitched voice squeaked, likely Eloise's.

"You know it's bad when El and I are fixing her mistakes," a lower voice added monotonously. Definitely Tony.

"Shit, okay. So she's been asleep since you called?" This hushed voice was new, and it was lower still and noticeably closer... Piper, maybe? But why was he there?

"Yeah! Once she went back here for her break she never came back!"

"Napping on the job is insane. Well, for her it is. I've done it many times. Thinks she's Sleeping Beauty or something. Unfortunate."

"What are you talking about? Stay mad, Tony. She's a super pretty sleeper, isn't she Piper?"

"...why are you asking me?"

"You know why I'm asking you."

"Well, I can't see her face, now can I?"

"Okay, imagine it then. Are you imagining it?"

"I'm not gonna– I don't know! Whatever, okay– yes. I'm sure she's a pretty sleeper, but what's more important is why is she asleep-"

"Can you keep it in your pants, bitch? She has been suffering today."

"Tony, please. Eloise set me up."

"What're you guys yapping about?" you cut in softly, unwilling to sit through their senseless chatter anymore. You slowly shifted your head so that your temple rested on your arms rather than your forehead, bringing you inches from a pair of soft, worried brown eyes behind their circular frames. "Hi, Piper."

"Oh," he exhaled, cheeks flushed as he watched you rub the sleep out of your eyes. "Hi, (N/n)."

"Wait– I'm a pretty sleeper?" you asked deliriously through a long yawn, the man chuckling in response. "Jamie says I'm like a man when I wake up."

He flicked your forehead with a snort. "What? Fuck what Jamie says. I say you're the prettiest sleeper ever, probably."

"Oh my God, now he'll say it," Eloise giggled deviously. "Whipped,"

"Down bad," Tony added with an irregular amount of amusement for the boy.

Whatever they were smiling about you had no clue, but Piper bristled at their comments as he sent them both a glare. "Please stop talking-"

"Wait, what are you guys doing back here?" you asked the two snickering teens, slowly escaping your post-nap fog. "I told you guys to man the front while I took my break."

"Yeah, and your break ended like three hours ago," Tony informed you. "It's past five. The shop's closed. It's been closed."

You shot up straight in your seat, shaking your head in disbelief. "No, you're lying– I've been asleep that long? Why didn't you guys wake me up?"

The teens immediately averted their eyes and shrugged guiltily, and Piper's response was no help either. He only chuckled awkwardly as he rose from his crouched position, scratching the back of his neck as he sent you a nervous smile.

"...hello? Why are we all being weird?" you asked flatly. "One of you needs to start talking."

"Okay, okay– it's Piper's fault! He told us not to wake you up!" Eloise blurted, earning a mean glare from the accused man.

"What? When and why were you talking to Piper? Wait, no, why is Piper here at all?"

Tony sighed in irritation but you caught a gleam of concern in his eyes. "Miss (Y/n), you were an actual travesty all shift."

Well, damn. The push-everything-down method really hadn't worked.

"When you went to the back and fell asleep, El and I– um, mostly just El, so don't get it twisted– got worried, and also we do not know how to run or close down the store, so we decided to call for backup. Ideally, I would've called Megistos, cause he's him, obviously, but your phone wasn't on you so we couldn't unlock it to find his number. Then we tried calling Angel, but he was probably working cause his phone was on DND. Then it was between Piper and Oakley, but-"

"Shit– you didn't call him, did you?" you interrupted as you stood up, an intense wave of anxiety slamming you in the chest. "Please tell me you didn't talk to Oakley."

Eloise chuckled in confusion. "Uh.. no...? Tony said we shouldn't since you removed him from the group chat yesterday and also just cause he's mad annoying, so we went with Piper! He may have been our third choice, but you're his first!"

"Shut up, Eloise! I'm actually never telling you anything ever again," Piper snapped at the girl, but you ignored their little inside joke/argument to address your rising concerns.

"Did he– he didn't come by today while I was asleep, did he? I didn't– I should've had Angel stay here-"

"Chill, woman. He didn't come by," Tony voiced over your nervous ranting. "Why are you tweaking right now?"

You attempted to answer and wave their concerns off, but your breaths were becoming labored as you found yourself slipping into the same dangerous mental spiral you'd been falling into over the past two days. You brought a hand to your chest as you tried to regain some sense of control, and as your wide eyes met Piper's, a deep frown pulled at his lips that told you your avoidance tactics weren't gonna cut it this time.

"You two– out front, now," he ordered the teens, eyes still on you.

"What? Why-"

"Nope, no questions. Just go. We'll be out in a couple of minutes, you can wait for us or you can go home."

"Oh, trust we're staying," Eloise huffed. "Tony has an article to show Miss (Y/n)."

Piper rolled his eyes. "That's fine, but for now, goodbye."

The teens grumbled to each other as they finally complied, leaving just as you began to breathe normally again. You tried to send Piper a reassuring smile– a sad attempt at maintaining whatever semblance of composure he might still believe you held– but Piper was a kind, caring, evil son of a bitch who would let you do no such thing.

"Pretty sure I told you I'd be livid if you were doing worse the next time I saw you," he said after a few moments of heavy silence. "You need to tell me what's going on."

"It's okay. I'm okay. I'm good."

"No," he immediately argued with a resolute shake of his head. "No more of this whole 'I can take everything on silently by myself' mentality. I'm tired of it, and I'm tired of seeing you miserable."

His voice was harsher than you'd ever heard it before, laced with what felt to you like intense disappointment. It made you want to cry all over again– how many more times would your friends allow you to let them down with your weak psyche and poor decision-making before walking out on you?

"I don't know what you want me to say," you uttered softly. "I'm sorry-"

"Stop– just stop with that," he demanded, though his voice had softened into something kinder as he took a small step closer. "I don't want your apologies, nor do I need them. What I want is for you to feel safe around me and let me in. You're hurting, (N/n). I know you are. I don't know if something happened or if you're just having a tough time lately, but please let me help carry your burden."

"Piper," you began quietly, intending to shut him down– but your words got caught in your throat at the desperate, soft way he was looking at you.

"You know that I care deeply about you, right? I know that you probably think that telling me what's wrong is gonna make me sad or overwhelm me or some other incorrect shit, but the honest truth is that nothing makes me more sad than seeing you look so lonely and so lost all the time. If I wasn't in a place emotionally where I could listen to you, then I wouldn't have offered to. Now it's on you to trust me and let me in. "

You tried to blink back the tears that had begun to pool in your eyes, not wanting him to see you even more undone than he already had– but a few droplets still escaped and ran down your cheeks. You brought up a shaky hand to wipe them away, but it was a futile effort as more seemed to fall. How could you not weep, when met with such abundant kindness and genuine goodwill?

"Hey, it's okay if you need to cry," he said with the tiniest sympathetic smile, and that was all it took for your resolve to break and for the tears to come back in full force. He sighed as he reached for you and pulled you into a hug, one hand gently cupping your head and the other drawing soft circles on your back. "It's okay, pretty girl. It's okay."

You wrapped your arms around him and buried your head into his shoulder as you allowed yourself to sob freely, him whispering soft assurances to you as you let everything out. Even once you'd finally calmed back down you didn't let go, your hands balling up the back of his coat in tight fists as you matched your breathing to his and allowed yourself to melt into him. He let you stay there as long as you needed, only pulling away when your arms returned to your sides.

"Do you think you're ready to start telling me what's been going on?" he asked, his hands tenderly wiping away your tears.

"I think I'm a bad friend," you responded through a few lingering sniffles. "Like, a really, really bad friend."

"Why would you ever think that?" he asked incredulously. "You're probably the most patient, attentive, and pleasant person I know. So a really, really good friend, actually."

You lowered your gaze, struggling to take his words to heart. "No, you don't get it... I feel like– it's like I bring out the worst qualities in the people around me? At first, I thought it wasn't my fault, but... the more I think about it, I'm technically the constant factor in my friendships all blowing up in my face, right? I just– I keep hurting everyone around me and I don't know how to become the person everyone needs me to be."

"Okay... well, I have my firm opinions on your character that go against everything you're saying, but I'm gonna need you to clue me in on why you think you're the problem before I try to convince you that you're wrong. Starting with whatever the fuck happened between you and Oakley. I know something went down, so don't lie to me."

You winced at the traces of anger resurfacing in his tone, guilt and anxiety reigniting within you. Noticing your response, his expression softened, and his hands quickly intertwined with yours.

"Hey, stop doing that," he frowned. "I'm not upset with you, I'm upset with Oakley because I have a feeling he's the problem here. I already was freaking out when your location just shut off all of a sudden the other night, and while you kicking him from the chat yesterday morning helped confirm you were still alive, it did not make me feel much better. What happened?"

"He confessed his... 'feelings' for me," you admitted in an almost timid whisper, still not having fully processed what'd happened that night. Piper scoffed at your words but let you continue. "He– he said he loved me, and that he knew that I loved him? And he was already being such a dick that night but I was being so immature and self-destructive, so I just– I fucking went with it until he-"

"Did he try to force you to do anything? If he did we're telling Jamie or even Angel and we'll-"

"No, Piper– he proposed."

"He proposed?" he repeated back to you, barking out a disbelieving laugh. "Like, proposed marriage? He didn't." You remained silent as you looked at your feet, still mortified by the situation. "He didn't. He proposed marriage? He asked you to marry him?"

You nodded slightly, attempting to stabilize your voice as you responded. "I know you're always telling me I'm dense so I maybe should've known and– and I shouldn't have been so surprised by it– but I was? And then he started talking like I didn't have a choice and I was so drunk– and I don't get drunk so I was freaking out-"

"Woah, it's okay," he cut in as your breathing began to quicken yet again, hands squeezing yours firmly. "It's over now. He's not here, and he cannot force you into a relationship, let alone a marriage. Also, you being oblivious is not an excuse for him to be a literal psychopath. Even if you did know he liked– or apparently fucking loved you, that doesn't necessarily mean you could've avoided this situation, so no matter what it's not your fault. Okay?"

"Okay," you mumbled.

"Good. Now, how did you end up getting away?"

"A waitress helped me get away without him noticing, but my phone died so I was just stumbling around on the street reeking of alcohol and terrified for my life. Angel found me, actually– which is also a problem cause-"

"Wait, how'd he find you? Your phone was dead so he couldn't have found your location."

"He doesn't have my location anyways but..." you paused and your brows furrowed for a moment as you pondered his question, but you brushed off your suspicion as you remembered what Angel had told you yesterday morning when you'd calmed down. "He was on patrol."

Piper still looked slightly off-put by your explanation but he nodded in understanding. "Okay, and why was this also a problem? Is Angel why you were upset last week? I kinda assumed when you were talking about relationships blowing up you were talking about Jamie, but-"

"No, things are bad with Jamie too," you answered with a sigh.

It hurt bad to rehash everything and think back on the many recent lows in all your relationships, and reliving the pain felt like the opposite of helpful. But you said you were going to share with Piper, and you couldn't bring yourself to let him down. Besides, you trusted him when he said he wanted to share you burden, and beyond that you trusted him to handle you gently with care.

"We had the biggest fight we've ever had a few weeks ago. He was really mad at me and essentially said that I've been pushing him aside for all of you guys because of some need for male attention, which was obviously quite hurtful... and also ironic concerning I wanted his attention. At the time, I mean. Now... I don't really know."

"The fuck is his problem?" Piper spat, disgust was written all over his face. "That's actually such a nasty thing to say to a woman. Please tell me you went psycho on his evil ass."

"He's not evil... well, maybe a little," you joked with a small smile. "But I did almost cry and tell him he was being mean! So... so probably not my best work standing up for myself, actually. Damn."

Piper chuckled lightly. "I don't know, (N/n)... I think that if I made you cry and you genuinely told me I was being mean to you, I'd feel so bad I'd just... I'd curl up and die, probably." He was obviously being dramatic, but there was a secret sincerity in his words that you found sweet. "So Jamie's probably been beside himself."

"Yeah, well I've sorta been beside myself too. I did talk to Sarah and her husband about it that night and they helped me decide to try and move on from my feelings for him, which has pretty much meant that I've been ignoring him entirely since then. So it's probably good in the long run, but right now it's like... well, it's really fucking terrible, 'cause I still miss his companionship, y'know?"

"I get what you're saying," he nodded solemnly, though there was very clearly a smile fighting to stay repressed on his lips. "But you wanna move on now– what a loser-"

"It's not funny, asshole!" you said as you delivered a swift punch to his arm. "I've been really sad!"

"Hey! I meant he's the loser– I'm sorry!" he apologized through more laughter, earning himself another punch. He shook his head as he rubbed the new spot where you'd whacked him. "Jeez, woman– stop the violence. Wait, okay, you didn't tell me that any of this was going on and you said you haven't regularly been able to talk to Sarah the other day, so did you tell Angel, at least? Or were you seriously just dealing with all this shit on your own?"

"Uh..." you hummed in thought, trying to determine how to explain the Angel situation in its confusing entirety.

"Something happened with him too?"

"Yeah. Long story short, I met his parents. They're actually evil, I think. They're probably in a cult. Also Angel might be some master manipulator. I'm not really sure, but things clearly aren't great there either."

Piper stared at you in visible confusion. "I think I'm gonna need the long story."

You groaned in preemptive exasperation before recounting your time at Angel's parent's residence while also trying to explain your recent concerns regarding your friendship with the man himself.

"The moral of every story I'm hearing today is that you need a portable charger," was Piper's initial response to your lengthy storytime. "I could've distracted you from that dumpster fire of a day with my hilarious jokes and charming personality if your phone wasn't incapable of holding its battery."

"Right," you snorted. "That's the moral of the story."

"Okay, fine. The other moral is that Angel doesn't respect you and you deserve better, but that's a given– even for you, I'd hope. Was it awkward seeing Angel after the dinner with Oakley? Cause that was the first time you guys talked since your fight, right?"

You cringed as you thought back to your multiple-days-long breakdown spent with Angel, removing your hands from his to drag them down your face dramatically.

"Wow," he chuckled. "That bad?"

"I mean... let's just say that things... things could've been better. We've definitely done a lot more touching and chatting than what I would prefer in my more mentally sound state, and I've... well, I've cried a little, maybe. But I'm feeling better now, so hopefully that'll all pause again. He asked me about the gala again this morning though, which made me freeze up."

"Wait, you're feeling better?" Piper asked with a tentative grin. "After talking to me you feel better?"

Your lips parted in surprise as you realized you didn't feel any of the guilt or humiliation you'd anticipated might accompany dumping all of your shit on Piper. Quite the opposite had happened actually, like a weight had been lifted off your chest for the first time in weeks.

You really did feel better. Piper Greene just might've been your miracle drug, and a wide smile found its way to your lips as you rolled your eyes at him. "Man. You are good."

"That's what I've been saying! And I am overjoyed to see my wonderful, superb, intelligent boss is back in order, but there are two teenagers out on the floor who I think would also like some reassurance. Shall we?'

He extended a hand to you that you gladly took, calling out his corniness with a light laugh. He led you out of the backroom and out front where you were met with a sterotypically bored-looking Tony and ever-animated Eloise, but more surprisingly Angel was there too, brooding with his arms crossed over his broad chest.

"Oh, hi, Angel," you said after a few seconds of inexplicably intense eye contact with the man. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm making sure you're safe, precious. The kids told me you were having an important conversation... which I can see you clearly were." His lips pressed together thinly as his eyes briefly fell on your hand interlocked with Piper's. "Are you sleeping with me again tonight?"

"What?" Eloise shrieked. "Sleeping with him?"

"Why aren't you safe?" Tony asked at a much more appropriate volume. "Did Oakley do something, Miss (Y/n)? I knew he was suspicious ever since that day he grabbed you. Should I send him death threats from my burner phone? He's not bulletproof, you know."

"What the fuck, Tony?" you sighed over the sound of Piper's laughter. "Absolutely not. Have you done that shit before?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want answers to," he shrugged. "What'd Oakley do?"

"Nothing important. Oakley's fine," you lied, not wanting to distress the teens with the knowledge of just how rotten their ex-coworker was. For them, ignorance could and would be bliss, if you had anything to say about it. "And chill, El. Angel just worded things horrendously. I've just been spending the night at his palace lately. But I don't know if I need to tonight, Angel. I'm feeling a lot better now."

"No, you have to!" he argued desperately, causing you to squeeze Piper's hand in slight uneasiness. "Cause– cause it's not safe, I mean. He could still be angry, and he knows where you live. So you should really sleep at mine again, I think. Or I might have to like, call Megistos, or somethings."

"Wait, who's angry? Are you lying? Is Oakley actually a problem?" Eloise asked, genuinely growing worried. "Are you okay, Miss (Y/n)? Piper apparently cheered you up somehow, but I mean– are you safe?"

"Yeah, I'm good..." you answered softly, anxiety resurfacing at Angel's intense concern for your safety. Maybe you should spend the night with him again, if things were that bad. Besides, you really did not want James involved unless it was entirely necessary and unavoidable.

"What if we all grab some dinner, and (N/n) can decide where she wants to sleep after?" Piper sugessted cheerfully, this time being the one to send you a soft squeeze. "The kids wanted to show you some article, right? And it'll be nice to all spend some time together. There's a few restaurants on the street, I think, if you kids' parents are cool with it."

"That's fine! I drove myself and Tony today, so we can stay!" Eloise replied with an eager grin.

"You have a license?" Piper gaped. "Alarming."

"That's real rich," you mumbled under your breath, Piper sending you a weary glare, but you ignored it with a cheeky smile and moved on. "How about I make something to eat upstairs, actually? I'd rather stay in. Do you wanna join, Ang?"

He pouted childishly at you, but ultimately sent you a curt nod. "Fine."

"Lovely. Up we go then," you ordered after locking the shop doors, leading the group up towards your apartment.

Overcoming the fierce obstacle that was Piper and Eloise togehter in a kitchen, you managed to chef up a quick pasta dish with your miscellaneous ingredients for everyone to enjoy at your tiny dinner table. As you ate, you primarily focused on your two younger employees, who despite their best efforts, were still quite clearly concerned about your safety. You'd tried to repeat that you were okay and even gave an incredibly brief rundown of why Oakley was no longer employed at Francesca's, but you only managed to get them off your back by mentioning the famed article they so badly wanted you to read for some reason.

The mystery piece turned out to be Tony's first submission sent to his school newspaper, an editorial work focusing on the cheer squad, reportedly per Eloise's request. They didn't have a physical copy with them, but Tony was quick to pull it up on his phone where you read the piece in its short glory: an unsurprisingly high-quality, witty read about the misconceptions many cheerleaders faced. Your favorite part was a hilariously bizarre interview with none other than Miss Eloise Chen herself, which had you and Piper stifling laughter while the teens emphasized the seriousness of it all, making the meal quite entertaining.

After dinner, it was evident that the only person who wanted to go home was Angel, and the kids and Piper quite easily talked you into putting a movie on before the night came to its conclusion. Tony rifled through your dusty DVD collection until he found some grungy coming-of-age flick from well before your time that you'd never even seen yourself, though Eloise immediately recognized it and demanded you put it on.

"I'm telling you– you'll love it miss (Y/n)!" she beamed as she climbed next to you on your couch, sandwiching you between her and Piper and nearly falling into your lap. "The main girl is super obnoxiously quirky in the way female leads from these movies always are, and the main guy gives hot grimey burnout energy! They're both evil and I love them!"

"Shit, that's literally us," Piper whispered teasingly, causing your cheeks to grow embarrassingly hot.

"Yeah, you two definitely give manic pixie dream girl and male manipulator final boss, now start the damn movie," Tony intoned impatiently, and you thought you caught a quiet huff from Angel where he sat on the floor in front of you.

You and Piper were quick to voice your utter despair at such accusations, but Eloise was all too delighted by such a revelation to hear out your pleas. You noticed her and Piper sharing multiple looks throughout the night you didn't quite understand, but you found their little antagonistic dynamic sweet in its own right. Even Tony seemed to be in on it, smirking at the man randomly throughout the movie as you and he joked quietly to each other about the film's awful plot.

Whatever was going on, they were all so plainly happy, and something about seeing the two teens so comfortable and contented in your home was encouraging to you. The chaotic and warm conversations that took place at your equally crowded dinner table and couch further helped dispel your prior fear that you were destined to some lonely, unfulfilling life, and Piper's many glances at and quiet check-ins with you throughout the night told you that that was his plan all along. In your apartmant that night you were surrounded by love, and everything you were going through outside felt a little bit easier because of it.

Angel's mood wasn't quite as chipper as everyone else's, but even so, by the time the night had come to its actual conclusion, you felt happier than you had in a long while. You said your reluctant goodbyes to the teens first and then Piper, and he reminded you excitedly as he crossed over your threshold to leave that after your shared shift the next day was your highly anticipated farmer's market excursion.

When it was just you and Angel left, you ultimately still decided to spend the night at his place as he continually stressed the danger of your apartment, but you informed him that you'd like to sleep in his apartment's spare room that night. He complied with his umpteenth pout of the night, his mood somehow worsening even more. There was something extremely sad and desperate reeking from him that only intensified throughout dinner and the movie, but you refrained from getting into it while he was so crabby.

You didn't let his glum mood bring you down anyway. While you were still feeling slightly unsure of your future, you also felt significantly more prepared to tackle it after time well spent with some of the dearest people in your life. Things were looking up and looking forward again, and you were going to chase this optimistic future until it was secured in your grasp.