{buffyverse} if we built an armour for our tender bodies
Title: If we built an armour for our tender bodies
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel the Series
Pairing/Characters: Willow Rosenberg/Fred Burkle
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series belong to Joss Whedon and company. The song comes "Three Wishes" by The Pierces.
Prompts: Written for punch-kicker15 for Round #136 at femslash_minis. The prompts were Year of the Tiger, Chinese Food, seduction without either Dark Willow, or either character dying.
Notes: This is very AU. Angel & Co. are still working for Wolfram & Hart but there's no apocalypse and it's set in 2010.
Summary: Willow feels that they're falling apart but she doesn't know how to fix what's wrong.
Word Count: 1342
It's February 14, 2010 and all she wants to do is pick up their normal Sunday diner from their favourite Chinese restaurant but she had forgotten to take into account the fact that it's the lunar new year and Chinatown is packed tightly for the festival to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.. Her iPhone buzzes in her pocket and Willow pulls it out to find a text message from her girlfriend.
Got called into the office, Working late. Eat without me.
When did her life become so clichéd that her girlfriend gets called into the office on Sunday night when they should be having fun. Willow shoves her phone back in her pocket with a sigh and she makes her way to the Phoenix. Fred did tell her to eat without her. It's crazy busy but the hostess smiles at her and promises to find her a table for one. There's no point in taking it home to eat it over the kitchen sink with no one but the cat for company.
She can't help but sadly smile when she realizes that it's the Year of the Tiger - her girlfriend's zodiac sign. And it makes up her mind, she'll be damned if she's going to spend such a lucky day in a restaurant by herself. Willow approaches the hostess and orders all of Fred's favourite dishes. Fred might be working late but Willow knows her girlfriend well enough to know that she's probably working by herself in her spacious lab.
Wolfram & Hart is quiet as Willow walks the lobby. The security guard recognizes her with a nod of his head and waves her on. The ride in the elevator to the floor that houses Fred's lab is quiet and smooth. It barely feels like she's moving and for a moment, Willow thinks that this might be a bad idea. For the last few months, there's been a distant between them. She's written it off as work but what if it was something else, what if Fred's grown bored with her.
The elevator doors soundlessly slide open and Willow is faced with the decision of exiting and facing her girlfriend or turning tail and running away. Her iPhone buzzes again and Willow steps out of the elevator. The reception area for this floor is empty so she sets her bags of food on the reception desk and pulls out her phone.
I am really sorry. I promise I will make it up to you.
Once she finishes reading Fred's text, Willow realizes that she had never responded to Fred's earlier text. She's debating on if she should send her a text or just surprise her when another text comes through.
It's just that I think I've discovered something big and I can't walk away right now. It's really boring and I'd rather be with you but I can't leave this unattended.
Willow reads the text and slips her phone back in her pocket, ignoring it as it buzzes again. She picks up the bag and heads toward Fred's private lab. Sure enough her girlfriend is there, bent over her phone madly typing as something boils away in a beaker over a Bunsen burner. She smiles and thinks about how she missed this - it's how they became more than friends, bonding over experiments whilst Angel & company tried to save the world.
"Is it okay to bring food in here?" Willow calls out from the doorway.
Fred makes a noise of surprise and drops her phone to the floor.
"Willow?"
"In the flesh."
"Of course, come in," Fred says.
Willow enters the room and sets the bags on Fred's desk. She pulls her girlfriend into her arms, disregarding the beaker and Fred's phone as she pulls Fred closer for a kiss. And for a moment or a year, it's always hard to tell, everything just fades away until it's just Willow and Fred and there's nothing else. When they pull apart, they're both slightly breathless.
"I missed this," Fred says with a soft sigh.
"Me too," Willow says. "Why did we ever stop?"
"I think it was Spike catching us in the act one too many times." Fred replies with a smile.
"That'd do it."
Fred leans down and picks up her phone and sets it on the counter. Willow pushes some of her hair behind her ear, suddenly nervous.
"Not that I don't appreciate this, but what brought this on?" Fred asks.
There's not enough kissing in the world that can seem to fix their problems. Willow shrugs her shoulder. The distance between them hadn't just been her imagination.
"It's Valentine's and lunar near year and I thought I'd so something special for my girlfriend since you couldn't make it home for dinner."
If her voice is defensive, it's because she doesn't know what to do or say. All she knows is that it feels like she's losing Fred and she can't bear the thought of that happening. Fred looks like she's going to say something but turns away toward her beaker.
"I am really busy," Fred quietly says.
"Sure, I'll just leave the food and see you at home."
Willow doesn't wait for a response, instead she just turns on her heel and goes home.
* * *
The bed shifts slightly startling her awake. Not that she was really asleep, she had been dozing in a place between wakefulness and deep sleep. Still her voice sounds clogged with sleep when she says Fred's name.
"It's me," Fred replies. "I'm so sorry."
She thinks that Fred's apologizing for waking her up and she turns over feeling unable to save her relationship.
"I've told Angel that I need a month off," Fred says as she slides into bed, spooning up against Willow's body.
"A month?"
"Yes I figure that will give us enough time to fix what's between us and we can take that trip up to Vancouver."
"What do you mean?"
Fred doesn't say anything as she drags her fingers up and down Willow's bare arm. It gives her goose bumps.
"I figured we could get married, show the world what you and I mean to one another like you asked me last year."
Willow pulls away as she sits up and turns on the lamp on her bedside table.
"I don't think us getting marrying is going to fix us."
"It's not about fixing us, it's about me realizing that I am not afraid anymore."
"What could you be afraid of?"
"Lots of things," Fred replies. "Loosing you, not living up to Tara's memory, not being good enough for you, what we have not being a phase, you know a whole bunch of silly things."
"And what made you realize that you weren't afraid anymore?"
"You coming in tonight," Fred tells her. "And then you walking away. It made me realize that if I didn't stop pushing you away, I was going to lose you. And I don't want that. Ever."
Before Willow can respond, Fred's kissing her and she can't help but giggle. Fred pulls away looking hurt but Willow grabs her hand and pulls her closer.
"I was pretty much worried about the same things," Willow says. "Aren't we a pair?"
"I blame Angel," Fred says. "He's a hard boss to work for, always needing us to do something - you to research or cast some complex magic and me to research or work some science out for him. Hence I left him a note telling that we were both taking a month off."
"I like that," Willow says. "So getting married?"
"Yes, if you want to that is," Fred says.
"Only if you let me plan the honeymoon," Willow says with a devious smirk.
"And where would you like to go?" Fred asks.
"Somewhere warm where it's acceptable for my wife to spend most of her time in a bikini."
Fred kisses her in response and once again Willow loses track of all sense of time until it's just her and Fred and nothing else.
((END))
Author: Aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer / Angel the Series
Pairing/Characters: Willow Rosenberg/Fred Burkle
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel the Series belong to Joss Whedon and company. The song comes "Three Wishes" by The Pierces.
Prompts: Written for punch-kicker15 for Round #136 at femslash_minis. The prompts were Year of the Tiger, Chinese Food, seduction without either Dark Willow, or either character dying.
Notes: This is very AU. Angel & Co. are still working for Wolfram & Hart but there's no apocalypse and it's set in 2010.
Summary: Willow feels that they're falling apart but she doesn't know how to fix what's wrong.
Word Count: 1342
It's February 14, 2010 and all she wants to do is pick up their normal Sunday diner from their favourite Chinese restaurant but she had forgotten to take into account the fact that it's the lunar new year and Chinatown is packed tightly for the festival to celebrate the Year of the Tiger.. Her iPhone buzzes in her pocket and Willow pulls it out to find a text message from her girlfriend.
Got called into the office, Working late. Eat without me.
When did her life become so clichéd that her girlfriend gets called into the office on Sunday night when they should be having fun. Willow shoves her phone back in her pocket with a sigh and she makes her way to the Phoenix. Fred did tell her to eat without her. It's crazy busy but the hostess smiles at her and promises to find her a table for one. There's no point in taking it home to eat it over the kitchen sink with no one but the cat for company.
She can't help but sadly smile when she realizes that it's the Year of the Tiger - her girlfriend's zodiac sign. And it makes up her mind, she'll be damned if she's going to spend such a lucky day in a restaurant by herself. Willow approaches the hostess and orders all of Fred's favourite dishes. Fred might be working late but Willow knows her girlfriend well enough to know that she's probably working by herself in her spacious lab.
Wolfram & Hart is quiet as Willow walks the lobby. The security guard recognizes her with a nod of his head and waves her on. The ride in the elevator to the floor that houses Fred's lab is quiet and smooth. It barely feels like she's moving and for a moment, Willow thinks that this might be a bad idea. For the last few months, there's been a distant between them. She's written it off as work but what if it was something else, what if Fred's grown bored with her.
The elevator doors soundlessly slide open and Willow is faced with the decision of exiting and facing her girlfriend or turning tail and running away. Her iPhone buzzes again and Willow steps out of the elevator. The reception area for this floor is empty so she sets her bags of food on the reception desk and pulls out her phone.
I am really sorry. I promise I will make it up to you.
Once she finishes reading Fred's text, Willow realizes that she had never responded to Fred's earlier text. She's debating on if she should send her a text or just surprise her when another text comes through.
It's just that I think I've discovered something big and I can't walk away right now. It's really boring and I'd rather be with you but I can't leave this unattended.
Willow reads the text and slips her phone back in her pocket, ignoring it as it buzzes again. She picks up the bag and heads toward Fred's private lab. Sure enough her girlfriend is there, bent over her phone madly typing as something boils away in a beaker over a Bunsen burner. She smiles and thinks about how she missed this - it's how they became more than friends, bonding over experiments whilst Angel & company tried to save the world.
"Is it okay to bring food in here?" Willow calls out from the doorway.
Fred makes a noise of surprise and drops her phone to the floor.
"Willow?"
"In the flesh."
"Of course, come in," Fred says.
Willow enters the room and sets the bags on Fred's desk. She pulls her girlfriend into her arms, disregarding the beaker and Fred's phone as she pulls Fred closer for a kiss. And for a moment or a year, it's always hard to tell, everything just fades away until it's just Willow and Fred and there's nothing else. When they pull apart, they're both slightly breathless.
"I missed this," Fred says with a soft sigh.
"Me too," Willow says. "Why did we ever stop?"
"I think it was Spike catching us in the act one too many times." Fred replies with a smile.
"That'd do it."
Fred leans down and picks up her phone and sets it on the counter. Willow pushes some of her hair behind her ear, suddenly nervous.
"Not that I don't appreciate this, but what brought this on?" Fred asks.
There's not enough kissing in the world that can seem to fix their problems. Willow shrugs her shoulder. The distance between them hadn't just been her imagination.
"It's Valentine's and lunar near year and I thought I'd so something special for my girlfriend since you couldn't make it home for dinner."
If her voice is defensive, it's because she doesn't know what to do or say. All she knows is that it feels like she's losing Fred and she can't bear the thought of that happening. Fred looks like she's going to say something but turns away toward her beaker.
"I am really busy," Fred quietly says.
"Sure, I'll just leave the food and see you at home."
Willow doesn't wait for a response, instead she just turns on her heel and goes home.
* * *
The bed shifts slightly startling her awake. Not that she was really asleep, she had been dozing in a place between wakefulness and deep sleep. Still her voice sounds clogged with sleep when she says Fred's name.
"It's me," Fred replies. "I'm so sorry."
She thinks that Fred's apologizing for waking her up and she turns over feeling unable to save her relationship.
"I've told Angel that I need a month off," Fred says as she slides into bed, spooning up against Willow's body.
"A month?"
"Yes I figure that will give us enough time to fix what's between us and we can take that trip up to Vancouver."
"What do you mean?"
Fred doesn't say anything as she drags her fingers up and down Willow's bare arm. It gives her goose bumps.
"I figured we could get married, show the world what you and I mean to one another like you asked me last year."
Willow pulls away as she sits up and turns on the lamp on her bedside table.
"I don't think us getting marrying is going to fix us."
"It's not about fixing us, it's about me realizing that I am not afraid anymore."
"What could you be afraid of?"
"Lots of things," Fred replies. "Loosing you, not living up to Tara's memory, not being good enough for you, what we have not being a phase, you know a whole bunch of silly things."
"And what made you realize that you weren't afraid anymore?"
"You coming in tonight," Fred tells her. "And then you walking away. It made me realize that if I didn't stop pushing you away, I was going to lose you. And I don't want that. Ever."
Before Willow can respond, Fred's kissing her and she can't help but giggle. Fred pulls away looking hurt but Willow grabs her hand and pulls her closer.
"I was pretty much worried about the same things," Willow says. "Aren't we a pair?"
"I blame Angel," Fred says. "He's a hard boss to work for, always needing us to do something - you to research or cast some complex magic and me to research or work some science out for him. Hence I left him a note telling that we were both taking a month off."
"I like that," Willow says. "So getting married?"
"Yes, if you want to that is," Fred says.
"Only if you let me plan the honeymoon," Willow says with a devious smirk.
"And where would you like to go?" Fred asks.
"Somewhere warm where it's acceptable for my wife to spend most of her time in a bikini."
Fred kisses her in response and once again Willow loses track of all sense of time until it's just her and Fred and nothing else.
((END))