The X-Project

And on the flip side of things, Doug and Angelo, pre-prom. Doug is just as meddlesome as his girlfriend, by the way. He just doesn't admit it as openly.



Angelo was fidgeting with his tux again, by the mirror. Suits and ties were one thing, but even his work for Elpis didn't require him to dress up *this* much.

"Isn't it time to go yet?"

By contrast, Doug felt entirely at home in his tuxedo. He grinned rakishly at Angelo. "Not quite yet," he said patiently. That patience was hard-won, however, as Angelo had been fidgeting and looking nervously at his watch. "Angie's working her own brand of magic, and if there's one thing I agree with Forge about, it's that you never rush genius."

Angelo eyed him, but finally nodded reluctant agreement. "Okay." He turned back to the mirror, poking at his tie.

"Quit fidgeting," Doug admonished finally. "You look fine, seriously."

"How're we gonna know when the girls are ready? Is Angie going to call you, or come here, or what?"

Doug hid a grimace as Angelo turned back to the mirror. As much as heg occasionally got cranky about his girlfriend's meddlesome nature, she wasn't the only meddler in the relationship. Amanda deserved somebody to treat her well after the trainwreck that had been her relationship with Manuel, and Doug thought Angelo would fit the bill. Of course, he couldn't come out and say that, or Angelo would protest and dig in his heels.

"Not sure," Doug replied, patting the PDA/phone in his back pocket. "But we'll know." Changing the subject, he smiled. "It's a nice thing you did, asking Amanda to the dance. Angie said she occasionally feels a little disconnected, with only LeBeau and Pete around."

Angelo smiled back, forcing himself to relax. "I know she wanted to see some people here again, an' I don't think she'd have come on her own. An' Moira said she needed to be more social."

Doug chuckled to himself. Maybe he wasn't the only one who thought the pair would be good for each other. "Still, it was very nice of you to ask her."

Angelo shrugged, a little uncomfortable with the line of conversation. "Seemed like what she needed."

Angelo was saved from further probing questions and comments about Amanda by the buzzing vibration of Doug's phone/PDA, which he pulled out of his pocket. He exchanged a few words with the caller, then grinned as he put the phone away. "They're ready," he said. "Time to go tell them how beautiful they look," he continued, grabbing Angelo's elbow to steer him out the door and down the hall.