FIC: Arrivals and Departures
Title: Arrivals and Departures
Author: cmk418
Rating: FRT
A/N: Written for the Giles/Xander Fabulous Fall Fest. Visual prompt #3 (at the end)
Summary: It was in those moments of greetings and goodbyes that they connect.
After coming and going for five years, Xander noticed the pattern that had started in the Sunnydale airport, back when they thought they’d lost Buffy, back when they still had Anya and Tara. It was in those moments of arrival and departure when he and Rupert could show their true feelings. In those moments that they embraced either in joy at seeing the other again or in fear that this time could be the last time they could be together like this.
He didn’t have the same ritual with the girls. For one thing, Dawn was in college, Buffy was in Italy, and Willow was in South America with Kennedy. He was lucky if he received a “have a safe trip” or “welcome back” e-mail or phone call from any of them. Not that he expected one.
He did expect Rupert to meet him at the airport. And, yes, he referred to Giles all the time now as Rupert; that was something that started in an airport too.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Giles!” yelled Xander.
Giles looked up to see Xander waving at him. He strode toward Xander.
Xander let his bags drop to his feet and hugged the other man. A brief embrace, a clasp of hands on arms, and Xander was home again.
Xander noticed that Giles wasn’t wearing his usual “welcome home, Xander” grin. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh -er- nothing. It’s nothing really.”
“Come on. Tell me.”
“It’s just being called by my surname makes me feel like I’m nothing more than your chauffeur.”
“You want me to call you Rupert?”
“I would like that very much.”
“Okay, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t slip up and call you ‘Giles’ sometimes, Gi-Rupert,” Xander said, before retrieving his bags from the floor. “Does Andrew still call you ‘Mister Giles’?”
“Yes, he does, but he isn’t you.” The “welcome home, Xander” smile was on in full force and Xander grinned in return.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
The flight announcement broke into the memory. “We are beginning our descent. Please return your seat backs and tray tables to their...”
Xander had heard this announcement so many times that he tuned it out. Twenty minutes. He had approximately twenty minutes before seeing Rupert again. Before Rupert was in his arms. He tried so hard these past five months not to think about the last time they were at the airport.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“We need to get a Council jet.”
“Another delay?”
“Yes. You don’t have to stay. I know you have things to do, Slayers to train, demons to research.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I run the Council and have other people to handle those tasks.”
“You could go home and play hooky for a couple of hours, maybe get a nap.”
“You talk about me like I was an old man.”
“Never. Not when you could still beat my ass on the training floor.”
The sentence seemed to hang in the air for a ridiculously long time and all the while Rupert studied the monitors above their heads intently. “Do you want me to leave?”
Xander glanced up at the monitors and whispered, “No.”
He felt Rupert relax beside him and glanced over at the older man to find Rupert watching him intently. That was the moment that things shifted between them. Those feelings that he’d kept hidden during years of hugs and handshakes had bubbled to the surface and he realized that he had no idea what to do next. The one thing he wanted to do was run. Then the reality of the situation hit him and Xander laughed.
“What is it?”
“I just realized that I’m going to be getting on a plane.”
“Well, that is the general purpose of being in the airport on a Wednesday afternoon.”
“Yes, it is.” The weirdness settled in again and Xander looked around for anything that would dispel it. “Hey, look at that guy.”
“Which guy?”
“The one that looks like an international jewel thief.”
“Just because someone dresses well…”
“And that lady’s pregnant with her husband’s second cousin’s baby. But she doesn’t know it yet, so don’t tell her.”
“You watch too much daytime television. Now, this one is on his way to meet the woman he’s been dating on the internet for three years.”
Xander pointed out an eighty-five year old woman. “And there she is.” The game continued until the flight announcement came over the loudspeakers.
“Looks like I’m going to be able to head out after all.” Xander rose to his feet, stretching.
“All right.” Xander had no idea if it was the three uninterrupted hours spent in each other’s company, but something seemed to have thrown them off their traditional farewell routine.
Xander stopped as they reached the security checkpoint. “Well, this is me.”
“Yes.”
Then Rupert’s arms were around him and all his doubts and fears vanished. He tried to put all his feelings into the embrace, hugging Rupert tighter and longer than ever before.
“You have to go,” was whispered into his ear and suddenly his arms were empty.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
The wheels of the plane touched down with a jolt. Xander stared out the window and beat a steady rhythm on the armrest. The taxiing seemed to take forever, but with every inch they moved closer to the gate, Xander became more nervous. There was a big step he was thinking about taking and it could either be the start of something great or a sentence to a life of e-mails, phone calls and rides to the airport from Andrew.
“Sir, you’ll have to depart.” The flight attendant gave him a smile that barely masked her irritation at having to wait for him to leave.
Xander slowly rose and grabbed his carry-on before heading into the airport.
In the end, his worries didn’t matter. Waiting for him on the other side of Customs were Dawn, Willow, and Buffy, waving wildly and holding a sign that said “Welcome Home, Xander.”
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Could you drive slower? The writing’s all shaky.”
“If I drive any slower, we’re going to miss him. This hunk of junk barely goes over thirty as it is.”
“I can’t believe he was going to leave without saying ‘goodbye’.”
“Well, he did leave a note. What more do you want?”
He thought, I want him to stay. I want him to talk some sense into Willow. I want him around to give me fatherly advice and tell me if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life marrying Anya. I want him to get me through the next Apocalypse and the one after that, if I’m lucky. I want to make sure that he’s okay. I want to look after him so that he’s not grieving so much and not so alone. And if none of that is possible, I want to have one last chance to tell him how much he means to me.
Xander pushed the gas pedal down toward the floor and prayed that they reached the airport in time.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
“Is everything okay? Where’s Ru-Giles?” he asked as Dawn steered the car out of the parking lot.
“Oh, the rental car only comfortably seated four so we left him back at H.Q. He gets to see you more than we do, so he didn’t mind,” Buffy said.
“Did he say that?”
“Something more along the lines of ‘Oh, you lot are going to pick him up. Very well.’ You’d think we’d be doing a favor by offering. Anyway, we told him we were going to take you out to lunch and then shopping and then maybe to see a movie or-“
“You okay, Xan?” Willow asked.
“Just a little tired.”
“That’s because you’re getting old,” Dawn teased.
“Technically, you’re older.”
“Yes, but there are advantages to being created from mystical energy.”
“Brat.” He shuffled through some papers in his carry-on. “Can we stop at the Council building? There’s this thing…”
“Apocalypse?”
“Demon?”
“Prophecy?”
“No, no, and no, but thank you for playing. It’s just something that I need to talk to Rupert about and the sooner the better.”
“We’ll have a Scooby meeting. Go into research mode, order pizza, the works. God, this is just like old times.”
And that was the one thing that Xander really didn’t want it to be.
The girls were in full planning-mode, so Xander went back to staring out the window. He always loved this drive back with Rupert, but today it seemed to be taking four times as long.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Giles!”
“Xander. What are you-? Is everyone alright?”
“Just a little mixed up. Willow and Tara, who knows what’s going to happen there? Buffy’s okay, I think. I didn’t see her. Anya’s still freaked, she keeps mentioning bunnies.”
“She would. But why are you here?”
“I really didn’t want your last memory of Sunnydale to be all that weirdness.”
“Oh.”
“Of course, I know that most of your memories of Sunnydale are going to involve some sort of weirdness, but…”
“I get it, Xander.”
“Oh. Good.”
“I should probably go to the gate.”
“Right.” They stared at each other for a moment, and then Xander enveloped Giles in his arms. “Take care, Giles.”
“You too.” Giles patted him on the back and Xander moved away.
“And it’ll only be a few months before you’re back with us again.”
“Pardon?”
“The wedding. You don’t think I’d get married without you, do you?”
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
Well, that was prophetic, Xander thought grimly.
At last, the car pulled into the drive in front of Council Headquarters. Xander stared up at the building. He didn’t know if it was an illusion or if it really did get more beautiful each time he came back.
“Why don’t you get set up and I’ll let Rupert know we’re here.” Xander wasn’t still long enough to hear their response if there was any. He was bounding up the stairs.
He walked past Andrew’s desk and pushed open the door to Rupert’s office. Rupert was on the phone. “Yes, that will be fine. Tomorrow at eight. Thank you.” He hung up the phone and penciled something onto his calendar.
“Hot date?”
“Meeting with Liana’s parents.”
“Oh.”
Rupert stayed behind his desk, twirling the pencil in his fingers.
“You weren’t at the airport.”
“I thought it would be a nice surprise for you, having the girls there.”
“You weren’t at the airport,” Xander reiterated.
“You’re upset.”
“Damn skippy. Eight hours on a plane, living inside my head, gearing myself up, and you’re not there.”
“I really didn’t think you’d mind. After all…”
“…the girls were there. I get it. I’m just another duty to delegate.”
There was a crack as Rupert snapped the pencil in half. He stood and advanced on Xander. “Do you think you were the only one processing his feelings and gearing up for this? Eight hours? Try six weeks.”
Xander was momentarily thrown by Rupert’s actions and said the first thing that came to mind. “Why six weeks?”
“That’s when you sent your flight information.”
“Oh.” Even though Xander fell silent for a moment, his mind whirled. Rupert had thought about him, had thought about this. “Maybe it’s for the best. That you weren’t there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we’ve gotten into this routine. And I have certain expectations. And if you don’t welcome me home properly in the next ten seconds, I’m going to…”
Rupert pulled Xander into his arms and kissed him soundly.
“If you keep doing that, you’ll never have to take me to the airport again.”
Rupert laughed, before pulling Xander in for another kiss. “Welcome home, Xander.”
THE END
The picture that inspired this (courtesy of katekat1010):
Author: cmk418
Rating: FRT
A/N: Written for the Giles/Xander Fabulous Fall Fest. Visual prompt #3 (at the end)
Summary: It was in those moments of greetings and goodbyes that they connect.
After coming and going for five years, Xander noticed the pattern that had started in the Sunnydale airport, back when they thought they’d lost Buffy, back when they still had Anya and Tara. It was in those moments of arrival and departure when he and Rupert could show their true feelings. In those moments that they embraced either in joy at seeing the other again or in fear that this time could be the last time they could be together like this.
He didn’t have the same ritual with the girls. For one thing, Dawn was in college, Buffy was in Italy, and Willow was in South America with Kennedy. He was lucky if he received a “have a safe trip” or “welcome back” e-mail or phone call from any of them. Not that he expected one.
He did expect Rupert to meet him at the airport. And, yes, he referred to Giles all the time now as Rupert; that was something that started in an airport too.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Giles!” yelled Xander.
Giles looked up to see Xander waving at him. He strode toward Xander.
Xander let his bags drop to his feet and hugged the other man. A brief embrace, a clasp of hands on arms, and Xander was home again.
Xander noticed that Giles wasn’t wearing his usual “welcome home, Xander” grin. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh -er- nothing. It’s nothing really.”
“Come on. Tell me.”
“It’s just being called by my surname makes me feel like I’m nothing more than your chauffeur.”
“You want me to call you Rupert?”
“I would like that very much.”
“Okay, but I can’t guarantee that I won’t slip up and call you ‘Giles’ sometimes, Gi-Rupert,” Xander said, before retrieving his bags from the floor. “Does Andrew still call you ‘Mister Giles’?”
“Yes, he does, but he isn’t you.” The “welcome home, Xander” smile was on in full force and Xander grinned in return.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
The flight announcement broke into the memory. “We are beginning our descent. Please return your seat backs and tray tables to their...”
Xander had heard this announcement so many times that he tuned it out. Twenty minutes. He had approximately twenty minutes before seeing Rupert again. Before Rupert was in his arms. He tried so hard these past five months not to think about the last time they were at the airport.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“We need to get a Council jet.”
“Another delay?”
“Yes. You don’t have to stay. I know you have things to do, Slayers to train, demons to research.”
“Well, it’s a good thing that I run the Council and have other people to handle those tasks.”
“You could go home and play hooky for a couple of hours, maybe get a nap.”
“You talk about me like I was an old man.”
“Never. Not when you could still beat my ass on the training floor.”
The sentence seemed to hang in the air for a ridiculously long time and all the while Rupert studied the monitors above their heads intently. “Do you want me to leave?”
Xander glanced up at the monitors and whispered, “No.”
He felt Rupert relax beside him and glanced over at the older man to find Rupert watching him intently. That was the moment that things shifted between them. Those feelings that he’d kept hidden during years of hugs and handshakes had bubbled to the surface and he realized that he had no idea what to do next. The one thing he wanted to do was run. Then the reality of the situation hit him and Xander laughed.
“What is it?”
“I just realized that I’m going to be getting on a plane.”
“Well, that is the general purpose of being in the airport on a Wednesday afternoon.”
“Yes, it is.” The weirdness settled in again and Xander looked around for anything that would dispel it. “Hey, look at that guy.”
“Which guy?”
“The one that looks like an international jewel thief.”
“Just because someone dresses well…”
“And that lady’s pregnant with her husband’s second cousin’s baby. But she doesn’t know it yet, so don’t tell her.”
“You watch too much daytime television. Now, this one is on his way to meet the woman he’s been dating on the internet for three years.”
Xander pointed out an eighty-five year old woman. “And there she is.” The game continued until the flight announcement came over the loudspeakers.
“Looks like I’m going to be able to head out after all.” Xander rose to his feet, stretching.
“All right.” Xander had no idea if it was the three uninterrupted hours spent in each other’s company, but something seemed to have thrown them off their traditional farewell routine.
Xander stopped as they reached the security checkpoint. “Well, this is me.”
“Yes.”
Then Rupert’s arms were around him and all his doubts and fears vanished. He tried to put all his feelings into the embrace, hugging Rupert tighter and longer than ever before.
“You have to go,” was whispered into his ear and suddenly his arms were empty.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
The wheels of the plane touched down with a jolt. Xander stared out the window and beat a steady rhythm on the armrest. The taxiing seemed to take forever, but with every inch they moved closer to the gate, Xander became more nervous. There was a big step he was thinking about taking and it could either be the start of something great or a sentence to a life of e-mails, phone calls and rides to the airport from Andrew.
“Sir, you’ll have to depart.” The flight attendant gave him a smile that barely masked her irritation at having to wait for him to leave.
Xander slowly rose and grabbed his carry-on before heading into the airport.
In the end, his worries didn’t matter. Waiting for him on the other side of Customs were Dawn, Willow, and Buffy, waving wildly and holding a sign that said “Welcome Home, Xander.”
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Could you drive slower? The writing’s all shaky.”
“If I drive any slower, we’re going to miss him. This hunk of junk barely goes over thirty as it is.”
“I can’t believe he was going to leave without saying ‘goodbye’.”
“Well, he did leave a note. What more do you want?”
He thought, I want him to stay. I want him to talk some sense into Willow. I want him around to give me fatherly advice and tell me if I’m making the biggest mistake of my life marrying Anya. I want him to get me through the next Apocalypse and the one after that, if I’m lucky. I want to make sure that he’s okay. I want to look after him so that he’s not grieving so much and not so alone. And if none of that is possible, I want to have one last chance to tell him how much he means to me.
Xander pushed the gas pedal down toward the floor and prayed that they reached the airport in time.
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
“Is everything okay? Where’s Ru-Giles?” he asked as Dawn steered the car out of the parking lot.
“Oh, the rental car only comfortably seated four so we left him back at H.Q. He gets to see you more than we do, so he didn’t mind,” Buffy said.
“Did he say that?”
“Something more along the lines of ‘Oh, you lot are going to pick him up. Very well.’ You’d think we’d be doing a favor by offering. Anyway, we told him we were going to take you out to lunch and then shopping and then maybe to see a movie or-“
“You okay, Xan?” Willow asked.
“Just a little tired.”
“That’s because you’re getting old,” Dawn teased.
“Technically, you’re older.”
“Yes, but there are advantages to being created from mystical energy.”
“Brat.” He shuffled through some papers in his carry-on. “Can we stop at the Council building? There’s this thing…”
“Apocalypse?”
“Demon?”
“Prophecy?”
“No, no, and no, but thank you for playing. It’s just something that I need to talk to Rupert about and the sooner the better.”
“We’ll have a Scooby meeting. Go into research mode, order pizza, the works. God, this is just like old times.”
And that was the one thing that Xander really didn’t want it to be.
The girls were in full planning-mode, so Xander went back to staring out the window. He always loved this drive back with Rupert, but today it seemed to be taking four times as long.
-> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> -> ->
“Giles!”
“Xander. What are you-? Is everyone alright?”
“Just a little mixed up. Willow and Tara, who knows what’s going to happen there? Buffy’s okay, I think. I didn’t see her. Anya’s still freaked, she keeps mentioning bunnies.”
“She would. But why are you here?”
“I really didn’t want your last memory of Sunnydale to be all that weirdness.”
“Oh.”
“Of course, I know that most of your memories of Sunnydale are going to involve some sort of weirdness, but…”
“I get it, Xander.”
“Oh. Good.”
“I should probably go to the gate.”
“Right.” They stared at each other for a moment, and then Xander enveloped Giles in his arms. “Take care, Giles.”
“You too.” Giles patted him on the back and Xander moved away.
“And it’ll only be a few months before you’re back with us again.”
“Pardon?”
“The wedding. You don’t think I’d get married without you, do you?”
<- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <- <-
Well, that was prophetic, Xander thought grimly.
At last, the car pulled into the drive in front of Council Headquarters. Xander stared up at the building. He didn’t know if it was an illusion or if it really did get more beautiful each time he came back.
“Why don’t you get set up and I’ll let Rupert know we’re here.” Xander wasn’t still long enough to hear their response if there was any. He was bounding up the stairs.
He walked past Andrew’s desk and pushed open the door to Rupert’s office. Rupert was on the phone. “Yes, that will be fine. Tomorrow at eight. Thank you.” He hung up the phone and penciled something onto his calendar.
“Hot date?”
“Meeting with Liana’s parents.”
“Oh.”
Rupert stayed behind his desk, twirling the pencil in his fingers.
“You weren’t at the airport.”
“I thought it would be a nice surprise for you, having the girls there.”
“You weren’t at the airport,” Xander reiterated.
“You’re upset.”
“Damn skippy. Eight hours on a plane, living inside my head, gearing myself up, and you’re not there.”
“I really didn’t think you’d mind. After all…”
“…the girls were there. I get it. I’m just another duty to delegate.”
There was a crack as Rupert snapped the pencil in half. He stood and advanced on Xander. “Do you think you were the only one processing his feelings and gearing up for this? Eight hours? Try six weeks.”
Xander was momentarily thrown by Rupert’s actions and said the first thing that came to mind. “Why six weeks?”
“That’s when you sent your flight information.”
“Oh.” Even though Xander fell silent for a moment, his mind whirled. Rupert had thought about him, had thought about this. “Maybe it’s for the best. That you weren’t there.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, we’ve gotten into this routine. And I have certain expectations. And if you don’t welcome me home properly in the next ten seconds, I’m going to…”
Rupert pulled Xander into his arms and kissed him soundly.
“If you keep doing that, you’ll never have to take me to the airport again.”
Rupert laughed, before pulling Xander in for another kiss. “Welcome home, Xander.”
THE END
The picture that inspired this (courtesy of katekat1010):