The two men wandered at a leisurely pace through the museum. It was late on a lazy summery evening in Los Angeles, and the place was almost deserted.

Stopping in front of a wall covered with colourful paintings, Giles indicated them with a slight nod.

"What do you think of Gauguin?"

"Too gaudy," Angel replied.

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah." The vampire moved to stand directly behind his human lover and wrapped his arms around Giles' waist, resting his chin on the man's shoulder. He only dared to do this because they were alone. "Also, too much sun and sand in his works. Not a favourite of mine."

Suppressing a smile, Giles teased, "I suppose you like something from one of the Masters. Someone who used a lot of dark brooding colours." He covered the hands at his waist and leaned back in the embrace. "Come on, we both know you take far too many risks in daylight simply because you like it better than the night."

"Uh huh...whenever it's necessary." Angel had found something more interesting -- Giles' neck. He swiped at it, drawing his tongue upwards along the carotid artery. Giles moved his head a bit more to the side to allow him access.

Angel felt Giles' pulse throbbing under his mouth, the rapid beat giving away his growing excitement. He sucked lightly on it, savouring it. Then his demon got interested, too, so he reluctantly pulled away. Squeezing Giles' biceps, he stepped to stand by his side.

"You worry me."

That got Angel's attention. "Why?"

"Because you take chances with your life."

Looking away, Angel said in a low voice, "It's not exactly a life as such, Rupert."

"You know what I mean."

The man stared at Angel -- hard -- until he felt it and looked up again.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. I don't take as many risks as you think. I'm always careful I don't turn myself into ash by stepping into direct sunlight. I...just like to lead a life as close to normal as I can. So I sometimes sleep at night and travel around the city in the daytime -- under ground by way of the sewer tunnels or however else I can. That's all."

Giles continued to stare until he finally accepted what he was being told. One corner of his mouth crooked up and he glanced away, then back again with a fullblown smile on his lips.

Angel achieved his own version of a smile and was pleased to see relief flood Rupert's expression.

They walked around the museum, occasionally brushing against one another just because they could.

Happening upon a small room at the back, quiet and out of the way, that held the works of a lesser known artist, they stopped to discuss them.

"Now this is someone whose talent held potential," Giles observed.

"Yeah, but he was a jerk. No one liked him."

Giles turned to study Angel's face. "You knew him?"

"He was one of the few people I was tempted to kill after I got my soul back. His arrogance was exceeded only by his self-importance." Angel pulled Giles closer to him. "He had some artistic ability, though."

Angel got the grey cotton shirt unbuttoned partways before Giles protested. Ignoring him, he slipped his hands inside to stroke the skin, directing his fingers to wander through the light mat of hair on the man's chest.

"Not here," Giles said half-heartedly.

"Why not? There's no one around and I want you."

"You and your exhibitionist tendencies."

Angel shrugged. "It's just me being who I am."

Laughing quietly, Giles said, "In all the years we've been involved, that's something I've never gotten used to. Your demon needs to learn that there is a time and place for these things, and a public place isn't it."

Despite his protests, Giles slid his hands up Angel's arms, over the smooth leather of his duster and up to his shoulders.

"How do you know it's my demon?" Angel teased with a straight face.

"I know."

They looked into each other's eyes for a moment and then in silent agreement, leaned forward until their mouths met, colliding in heat and passion. Soft flesh gave way under exploring tongues, opening to allow more closeness. Giles' hands tightly gripped Angel's shoulders, his lower body pressing against the vampire's. Angel slid his knee between his lover's legs and moved his hands to knead Giles' firm buttocks and pull him even closer. Both their bodies were shouting their increasingly aroused state, swelling erections rubbing against bellies. Finally Giles wrenched his mouth away, panting.

Again their eyes locked. Angel guided Giles backwards until the mortal's back was literally against the wall, then he started fumbling to open the other's fly.

"Geez, Rupert," he hissed, cursing whoever designed Levis with that many buttons. One of the greatest inventions of the twentieth century, in his opinion, was the zipper. "Why did you wear these tonight?"

"Thought you'd appreciate the challenge," Giles shot back, "although I admit the idea doesn't seem like such a good one at this moment." He already had Angel's trousers unfastened, his hot hands diving inside the material, exploring, stroking, gliding over the erection, making it feel like silk. Angel groaned, momentarily forgetting he was the seducer, and gave in to the wonderful sensations his lover was provoking in him.

He closed his eyes and leaned against Giles, letting him have his way, silently thanking him for bringing heat and life where there really could be none...

"Hey!"

The shout caused both of them to hurriedly stuff shirts and more personal items back inside their pants. Angel looked up at Giles, saw that his gaze was directed behind him, so he turned.

A security guard clutching a walkie-talkie stood nearby, glaring at them.

"You two take it to a motel. There'll be none of that going on here!"

About to mumble an apology, Angel was startled when his partner declared, with fist on hip, to the guard, "As if someone with so little of the proper equipment would know what we were doing," he flicked his gaze downward to the guard's crotch, pointedly, then back up.

Giles grabbed Angel's hand and led him away.

"Come along, darling. Let's go some place where we'll be accepted for who we are."

Angel's eyes widened at the falsetto voice Giles used -- the lisp just about curling his hair -- but he said nothing. He allowed himself to be towed away and gave the stunned guard a smile and a little wave as they left.

The two of them ran out of the building, and didn't slow until they were almost half a block away. Then they both became self-conscious about holding hands but parted only that much, continuing to walk side by side. Angel understood that Giles was keenly aware of the possibility of being seen by someone who knew him and who could cause trouble. He still needed to find a job and there were his young friends in Sunnydale to think about. It would do none of them any good if someone with a narrow mind and a big mouth ruined his reputation.

As for himself, Angel liked the contact of flesh cradling flesh but he, too, was uncomfortable with public displays of affection for much the same reasons. He did curse himself for a fool for the act they'd nearly completed inside the museum. He'd simply gotten carried away in his desire.

He stole a look at Giles but got caught looking.

"What?" Giles' smile was suddenly shy. It jolted Angel's equilibrium. His lover had so many levels...

"You're a strange and, at times, unpredictable man," he said fondly. "That display at the museum..."

"Which one? The Gauguin?"

Rolling his eyes, Angel merely shook his head. This playfulness of Giles' was something he rarely got to see. He wished they both could indulge in showing their true feelings for each other. It would be so liberating to walk hand in hand, to kiss whenever they wanted, and not have to worry about the consequences.

Glancing around, Angel noted that this area of town hosted at least two restaurants and three theatres within a few blocks of the museum. People walked behind and ahead of them in both directions in couples and groups, crossing the street here and there, hurrying to meet reservations or simply strolling like they were doing. Cars cruised up and down. Any one of those people could have come into the museum. Any one of them could have been exactly the wrong one to see them...

Giles was right. There were times and places that just weren't appropriate for such behaviour. Too bad. It was exciting when they were about to do it where they might...and did...get caught.

A stray thought popped into his head. Not totally unrelated to what he'd been thinking of previously. "Rupert? Have you ever gotten in serious trouble? With the law, I mean."

"If you're asking if I have a record, the answer is no. I came close a few times. You know that. You were there for some of it."

"When you ran with Ethan."

Giles frowned. "I'd rather not to call it that. It wasn't like the way you ran with Drusilla and Spike when you were Angelus."

"You hung out with him -- shared a flat with him -- and you practiced your black magicks together. You stole and you ran from the law. It is pretty much the same thing when you come down to it," he pointed out.

After a moment, Giles conceded that with a slow nod. "Yes, I suppose it is."

Angel was silent, gauging Rupert's mood. "You still have issues with Ethan."

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Giles asked sarcastically. Then he glanced Angel's way and said, "Sorry. Yes, Ethan and issues seem to be indistinguishable."

Reaching out, public sensibilities be damned, Angel put an arm around Giles' shoulders, holding him close to his side. After a moment, the human relaxed enough to lean into the embrace, keeping his hands jammed into his jacket pockets. They walked in silence for awhile. Angel sensed the restlessness in Giles that seemed pervasive lately. Yet, only someone who knew him well would notice. True to his nature, Rupert didn't let his feelings show very often. Chin up and ride it out. That was Giles. Tonight, however, there was an undercurrent of emotion that pushed him to go farther than usual, daring to stretch his self-imposed boundaries. It warred with his reliable common sense.

"I have an idea," Giles said after some time had passed. "Let's go find some trouble. See if we can stir things up."

"Are you trying to recapture your reckless past, Rupert?"

"I just...feel like doing something different," he said, unsettled.

Angel was preoccupied with the feel of the broad shoulders under his arm. The heat from the mortal rose through his jacket, and soaked into Angel's arm and upper body.

"I have a better idea." Suddenly he pushed Giles around the corner of a building and into an alley where the light evaporated into the shadows.

"What are you doing?" Giles sounded more curious than worried. Trusting.

Angel's throat closed up with that realization. Giles had no fear of his vampire lover, not even after all they'd been through in the more than twenty years they'd known each other. Not even after...

He shook it off, content to just revel in the love and acceptance that radiated in waves off his friend. Nearly overcome with emotion, Angel smiled shakily, pleased with the knowledge that he returned Giles' trust implicitly. Of course, it was easy to trust Giles. Then he looked deeply into those sea green eyes, convinced he could see his reflection in them enveloped by Rupert's passion for him, and his desire rose to new heights.

Guiding him deep into the shadows, Angel began attacking the buttons on Giles' shirt again. This time Rupert let him, roughly grasping Angel by the ears and drawing him in for a kiss that stopped the unbuttoning for a few minutes. When they separated, their eyes met, alight with fire. They grinned like boys about to do something naughty and Angel resumed his self-appointed duty.

The edges of the opened shirt parted under his palms as he bent to lick Giles' collarbone, then traveled lower until his questing mouth found a hardening nipple and sucked on it. He felt the viselike grip of Giles' fingers winding through his hair and holding him there. The human's breath came fast and shallow. Then he dragged Angel's head up for another consuming kiss, delving deep into the vampire's mouth, sweeping around and teasing his tongue out where he sucked it into his own mouth. They played tug-of-war, until Giles' growing need made him impatient for more. He shoved his hips forward, reminding Angel that there were other areas that needed attention.

Angel put his hands on the waistband of Giles' jeans, sliding his fingers underneath and shoving his hand inside to his wrist.

"Works better if you undo them," Giles said hoarsely.

Smiling at the longing he heard in the other's voice, Angel did as was suggested. He popped the first button through its hole, then the second one and the next, deliberately brushing his knuckles against the bulge on the inside, delighted to discover that Giles wasn't wearing underwear. Then he reached in, and cupped the erection, tenderly easing it out. He adored Giles' cock. It was big in width and length and he loved looking at it, holding it, tasting it, and having it inside him. The hot, velvety skin drew him the same way that his demon was drawn to the rush of blood in the human's veins.

Dropping to his knees, Angel leaned forward and placed a reverent kiss on the already glistening head. Moonlight overhead caught the moisture seeping out of the slit. Giles ran his hands over Angel's face, fingertips tracing his jaw line and the curve of his mouth, then he gently urged him to get on with it.

Angel took the eager erection bobbing under his nose, swiped his tongue up the underside a couple of times with hard strokes, and dragged the hot shaft into his mouth.

Giles hissed as the cold engulfed him. Rather than extinguish the flame within, it fanned the fire. He'd told Angel that once and the vampire never forgot, nor did he ever pass up a chance to bestow that pleasure.

Billowing his cheeks, Angel sucked hard on the tip and then slid down as far as he could go and sucked again. Sliding his mouth up and down, he changed the pressure at whim. His hand encircled the base of the shaft, making a tight channel that he pumped up and down, hard and fast. With his free hand, he tugged the jeans over Giles' ass and down his thighs, exposing the scrotal sac. He squeezed it lightly but rapidly in rhythm with his sucking. The moans that action produced were his reward.

Giles began thrusting into Angel's mouth, his fingers digging sharply into the shoulders before him. Managing a glance upward, Angel saw that his partner had his head pressed against the brick wall and his eyes were shut. He was operating purely on instinct at this point. Dragging his teeth lightly against the flushed, silky skin caused a break in the rhythm, then Giles' movements increased in speed. Keeping up with him was getting achingly more difficult but Angel stuck with his task, enjoying the sounds of Giles' low groans.

Suddenly, Giles stilled. His balls tightened under Angel's deft fingers and he shuddered.

"Angel...I..." The words wouldn't form but Angel was ready for the result. The hot seed shot down his throat and he swallowed it all. Lots of years of practice and not needing to breathe enabled him to hang in until his lover was spent.

Giles sagged back against the wall, his legs trembling from the explosion of his orgasm.

Angel licked him clean. Rising to his feet, he lovingly tucked the limp member back into the protection of the clothing, pulling up and re-buttoning the jeans. Then he leaned in and lightly kissed Giles' parted lips, his arms supporting the other man.

The mortal regarded him through half-lowered lids. A tired smile surfaced.

"No fair. You had that planned all evening," he whispered.

"What if I did? What are you going to do about it?"

"Sort of depends on how long you can wait. I want to make love to you tonight in a bed."

"I can wait. My place is only ten minutes from here." Angel hesitated, and then asked, "Did you like what just happened? I mean do you mind that it happened here?"

"Better here than in the museum." He studied the vampire's face then brought his hand up to caress Angel's cheek with unsteady fingers. "Every time with you is remarkable -- no matter where or when."

"I feel the same way." Then: "Um, can we go now? I'm getting a serious urge to drag you back in there and let that guard know what real art lovers are like."

Chuckling softly, Giles took Angel's hand in his and pulled it up to his mouth where he kissed the palm.

"Only if we can go in to your apartment through the underground tunnel."

"Cordelia and Wesley will be gone by now. No one will see us."

"I know. I just like the thought of sneaking around. It feels more like the old times in London."

Angel understood the sentiment. Sometimes all it took was the illusion of daring to create that edge of excitement they'd thrived on back then.

"Well, in keeping with the theme of the evening, I suppose we can do that. Only can we do it now?" He heard the yearning in his own voice.

Giles slid an arm around Angel's waist and they stepped out of the alley and into the revealing light of the streetlamps.

Another risk, but one worth taking.

~ end ~