Fic: BtVS: Safe Places, Giles/Wesley, G/FRC
Title: Safe Places
Author: lostgirlslair
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Giles/Wesley
Rating: G / FRC
Summary: Sequel to Rumours, though it stands on its own.
Spoilers: Season Three, sometime after 'Earshot.'
Feedback and Concrit adored: lostgirlslair AT yahoo DOT com
Disclaimer: All things BtVS and AtS belong to Joss Whedon and various corporate entities. I am neither.
Written from Prompt #157 of the lgbt_fest! Prompt at the end of the story. Big, huge thanks to katekat1010, for the fabulous beta magic!
"Rupert, you must stop worrying." Wesley grinned as he said it, and walked into the library office. Giles shook his head as he followed Wesley inside. They'd meant to arrive early, to look up a few more things before the school day started. But, due to an orange juice . . . accident that morning, they'd had to stop off at Wesley's place on the way. They were barely on time, let alone early.
"That's easy for you to say," Giles replied, settling his books on his desk. "You don't have Enjanish to translate. I need seven reference books. It's a nightmare."
"Oh, I'll translate that," Wesley was already making the tea. He never liked to sit down to work without a pot already made. Sensible, if you asked Giles. "I quite enjoy Enjanish."
Rupert straightened, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Did you say that just for the alliteration, or did you mean it?"
"I meant it," Wesley said, shooting a smile over his shoulder. "Leave the books on the desk and I'll sort it."
Giles smiled back at Wesley and then turned to deal with the return carts. Out in the library proper he heard the doors swish open and went out to see if it was Buffy arriving early.
It wasn't Buffy, but a boy about her age that Giles hadn't seen before.
"Can I help you?" He asked when the boy didn't move from his spot, but also didn't say anything.
"Uh, I . . . Um, do you have any books on . . . queer theory?"
"I'm sorry, what?" It sounded like gibberish at first. "And what is that?" Then Giles realized this might be another young man trying to earn status among his peers. Prats.
"Uh . . . Queer Theory?" Despite his obvious nervousness, the boy seemed earnest enough. "For, you know," his voice dropped, "gay people?"
"Oh," Giles felt startled right down to his toes. "Uh, no. We don't carry any, that I know of. Perhaps the public library?"
"Right." The boy shuffled his feet, but didn't go anywhere. A moment passed in silence. Giles was sure that something was expected of him, but he wasn't sure what. "Okay, uh, thanks."
Giles felt his forehead furrow as he watched the library doors swing behind the lad.
"I think he was asking for . . . guidance." Wesley's hand landed on his shoulder. Giles considered for a moment and then nodded. "Don't feel bad," Wesley said. "I wouldn't have done any better."
Giles wasn't sure whether or not he hoped the boy would come back. On the one hand, he knew what it was like, being that age and apparently different from everyone else. On the other hand, he wasn't exactly at the High School to socialize. The last thing he needed was Snyder overhearing him in awkward conversation about quasi-sexual concepts with underage American boys.
Snyder was already grumbling about this being Giles' 'last year at Sunnydale High.' Giles hated to admit that he needed to stay on the little troll's good side, but he did, if he wanted to be on the grounds if Buffy needed him.
Blinking, Giles realized he'd been straightening the library for several minutes while his mind was elsewhere. Shaking his head at himself, he got down to business.
He didn't see the boy again all day, but there were others. First, two young women came in to study at the table. It was unusual, but Giles didn't think anything of it until the girls were leaving, and one darted in and kissed the other just before they left.
Oh dear. Giles wasn't sure if this was good or not. He didn't care what the students got up to, or with whom, and if there were children who felt safer being themselves in the library, that was all well and good. But, this wasn't just the library. Having outsiders there all the time would bind them pretty tightly.
Buffy's secret was already far less secret than any other Slayer's in the last century, but Giles didn't think it could stretch any farther. Giles snorted to himself.
"Bugger that," he muttered as he went into the office, "Any vampire in town could get her address."
"Which is why Slayers aren't supposed to have friends," Wesley commented, though he didn't look up from the Ejanish he was translating.
"I think it was the bloody vampire boyfriend that actually blew that secret," Giles grumbled. Wesley snorted, but wisely chose not to comment.
Giles sighed, putting away a few of his personal reference books that they wouldn't be needing, at least until the sun burned purple. If that ever happened, he would know just which book to grab. Straightening up, he went over and sat on the edge of his desk, where Wesley was working. "What do you think about it?"
"About Angel?" Wesley was still leagues deep in his translation, even if Giles had been talking about the situation aloud--instead of just thinking it--Wesley probably wouldn't have heard.
"No, about children actually coming in to the library."
"There were children in here?" Wesley looked up, still half-caught in his translation. He glanced back at his books, then tossed his pen onto the desk. He leaned back in Giles' chair, apparently having decided to give the matter his attention.
Giles tried not smile, as he knew Wesley would take it the wrong way and Giles wasn't about to let the word 'cute,' pass his lips, in this context.
"Teenagers," Giles clarified, though even to his ears the word sounded a bit grumbled.
"Oh, I thought you meant actual children, in which case I would have to say that they didn't belong here. Rupert, I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's their library. Trying to keep them out, especially given the context, would raise more suspicions than working around them." Wesley raised one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "And it isn't as if they don't already know something's up."
Giles couldn't help but smile then. "I rather thought you'd raise a fit about it. Slayer secrecy, and all."
Wesley shrugged again. "I've more or less accepted that that ship had already sailed." He quirked his eyebrow at Giles, but his smile was small enough to ignore.
"Impossible," Giles grumbled, rolling his eyes. He turned to get back to his work. As he emerged out from behind the library desk, he found himself face to face with another boy he'd never seen before.
"Yes?" The word popped out of his mouth automatically.
"Um, yeah. I was . . . like, looking for a book?" The boy looked just as confused as he sounded.
"A specific book, or would any do?" The sarcasm, too, seemed to pop out without his brain needing to understand what was going on.
"Oh!" The boy's expression brightened. "Yeah, anything's good." He bobbed his head, now grinning.
"Right." Giles tried to stamp down on his irritation. It took a few tries. Then he reached over onto the return cart and handed the boy the first thing he touched. Whatever it was, the boy seemed surprised, but pleased. He turned and walked over to the library table, apparently absorbed in the table of contents.
Giles blinked, but the boy was still there when he opened his eyes. It obviously wasn't the first time a student had ever made use of the library, but three times in one day was unprecedented. And, though Giles got back to his work, he couldn't not be aware of the boy, or of the others as they slowly trickled in and flowed out again.
It wasn't as if there were a lot of them, and they stayed out of his way. Still, Giles couldn't say he was comfortable with the arrangement, not when the library was more likely to be the target of vampire attack than other parts of the school, and not when it meant they'd have to work around other people, but nothing was perfect, and it was only for a little while. After graduation, Buffy and he would have to find somewhere else anyway.
Nodding at his own thoughts, Giles took a few more books into the office, just to make sure they were out of sight. He found Wesley bent over the Ejanish translation with a look of contented concentration on his face, and decided not to interrupt.
Back out in the library proper, Buffy and Willow had just come through the doors. The two of them stood at the doors for a moment, stunned into paralysis. Then Buffy flashed him a wide-eyed look.
"Giles!" She said it as if he were somehow responsible for the lounging teenagers. It was lower than it would have been without their presence. "What are all these people doing here?"
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say they're reading." Giles gave her an annoyed look and realized he'd been slapping the books down a little harder than they deserved.
"Giles!" Buffy all but stomped her foot.
"They seem to be seeking shelter." Giles sighed and ducked his head to one side. "We can discuss any business we have in the stacks. They haven't yet been discovered. Other than that, well, graduation's approaching, so it won't be for long."
"Won't be long?" Willow blinked and shook her head, still sounding a bit shocked. "What happened?"
"Well, this morning a boy came in asking about books on . . . Queer Theory"--the words still didn't feel right. "And then . . . others came in and . . ." Giles waved a frazzled hand at the library. "How am I meant to know what happened? In my day, anyone calling me 'queer' was asking for a fight."
"Okay, when did this happen?" Willow asked. "I miss one day of school since I was . . . and you give away the library?" Willow's voice was high and a little squeaky by the time she finished.
"I didn't give anything away," Giles grumbled. "And the library is open to all students. Do you really want me to tell them they're not welcome?"
"No!" Willow protested, looking back at the teenagers. "No, I don't. It's just . . . gonna take some getting used to. The library's always belonged to nerds . . . and, what if Angel comes by or, or less friendly . . . v-versions." Willow lowered her voice over the last bit, glancing around to make sure no one else had heard.
"It wouldn't be the first time students have had to flee," Buffy said, and Giles saw a thoughtful look on her face. She looked up at him and Giles raised an eyebrow. "Maybe . . . maybe it's time we gave them a chance to fight."
Giles opened his mouth to speak, possibly to say something about slayers and secrecy. Buffy spoke before he could.
"No," she said, raising her hand. "We'll talk about it, just not here, or now." Buffy brightened up and shot Willow a smile. "Here, we have to find some room for homework."
She flashed her smile at Giles, too, before she and Willow went off to find room for themselves at the library table. Giles went back to his work until he felt familiar fingers brush against his elbow. Wesley blinked owlishly at him, but smiled, and Giles returned it.
"I thought I'd take a break before I had Ejanish burned into my retinas." Wesley kept his voice low. "They're all behaving themselves," Wesley said, after a glance out over the library.
"They are," Giles agreed with a small nod, and he felt himself smiling again. "I think this will work out, until graduation."
"Yes," Wesley said, his hand brushing over the small of Giles' back as he headed back into the office. "And I can't wait to see Xander's reaction."
-----
Prompt #157 - Giles say, "In my day, anyone calling me 'queer' was looking for a fight."
Author: lostgirlslair
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Giles/Wesley
Rating: G / FRC
Summary: Sequel to Rumours, though it stands on its own.
Spoilers: Season Three, sometime after 'Earshot.'
Feedback and Concrit adored: lostgirlslair AT yahoo DOT com
Disclaimer: All things BtVS and AtS belong to Joss Whedon and various corporate entities. I am neither.
Written from Prompt #157 of the lgbt_fest! Prompt at the end of the story. Big, huge thanks to katekat1010, for the fabulous beta magic!
"Rupert, you must stop worrying." Wesley grinned as he said it, and walked into the library office. Giles shook his head as he followed Wesley inside. They'd meant to arrive early, to look up a few more things before the school day started. But, due to an orange juice . . . accident that morning, they'd had to stop off at Wesley's place on the way. They were barely on time, let alone early.
"That's easy for you to say," Giles replied, settling his books on his desk. "You don't have Enjanish to translate. I need seven reference books. It's a nightmare."
"Oh, I'll translate that," Wesley was already making the tea. He never liked to sit down to work without a pot already made. Sensible, if you asked Giles. "I quite enjoy Enjanish."
Rupert straightened, unable to keep himself from smiling. "Did you say that just for the alliteration, or did you mean it?"
"I meant it," Wesley said, shooting a smile over his shoulder. "Leave the books on the desk and I'll sort it."
Giles smiled back at Wesley and then turned to deal with the return carts. Out in the library proper he heard the doors swish open and went out to see if it was Buffy arriving early.
It wasn't Buffy, but a boy about her age that Giles hadn't seen before.
"Can I help you?" He asked when the boy didn't move from his spot, but also didn't say anything.
"Uh, I . . . Um, do you have any books on . . . queer theory?"
"I'm sorry, what?" It sounded like gibberish at first. "And what is that?" Then Giles realized this might be another young man trying to earn status among his peers. Prats.
"Uh . . . Queer Theory?" Despite his obvious nervousness, the boy seemed earnest enough. "For, you know," his voice dropped, "gay people?"
"Oh," Giles felt startled right down to his toes. "Uh, no. We don't carry any, that I know of. Perhaps the public library?"
"Right." The boy shuffled his feet, but didn't go anywhere. A moment passed in silence. Giles was sure that something was expected of him, but he wasn't sure what. "Okay, uh, thanks."
Giles felt his forehead furrow as he watched the library doors swing behind the lad.
"I think he was asking for . . . guidance." Wesley's hand landed on his shoulder. Giles considered for a moment and then nodded. "Don't feel bad," Wesley said. "I wouldn't have done any better."
Giles wasn't sure whether or not he hoped the boy would come back. On the one hand, he knew what it was like, being that age and apparently different from everyone else. On the other hand, he wasn't exactly at the High School to socialize. The last thing he needed was Snyder overhearing him in awkward conversation about quasi-sexual concepts with underage American boys.
Snyder was already grumbling about this being Giles' 'last year at Sunnydale High.' Giles hated to admit that he needed to stay on the little troll's good side, but he did, if he wanted to be on the grounds if Buffy needed him.
Blinking, Giles realized he'd been straightening the library for several minutes while his mind was elsewhere. Shaking his head at himself, he got down to business.
He didn't see the boy again all day, but there were others. First, two young women came in to study at the table. It was unusual, but Giles didn't think anything of it until the girls were leaving, and one darted in and kissed the other just before they left.
Oh dear. Giles wasn't sure if this was good or not. He didn't care what the students got up to, or with whom, and if there were children who felt safer being themselves in the library, that was all well and good. But, this wasn't just the library. Having outsiders there all the time would bind them pretty tightly.
Buffy's secret was already far less secret than any other Slayer's in the last century, but Giles didn't think it could stretch any farther. Giles snorted to himself.
"Bugger that," he muttered as he went into the office, "Any vampire in town could get her address."
"Which is why Slayers aren't supposed to have friends," Wesley commented, though he didn't look up from the Ejanish he was translating.
"I think it was the bloody vampire boyfriend that actually blew that secret," Giles grumbled. Wesley snorted, but wisely chose not to comment.
Giles sighed, putting away a few of his personal reference books that they wouldn't be needing, at least until the sun burned purple. If that ever happened, he would know just which book to grab. Straightening up, he went over and sat on the edge of his desk, where Wesley was working. "What do you think about it?"
"About Angel?" Wesley was still leagues deep in his translation, even if Giles had been talking about the situation aloud--instead of just thinking it--Wesley probably wouldn't have heard.
"No, about children actually coming in to the library."
"There were children in here?" Wesley looked up, still half-caught in his translation. He glanced back at his books, then tossed his pen onto the desk. He leaned back in Giles' chair, apparently having decided to give the matter his attention.
Giles tried not smile, as he knew Wesley would take it the wrong way and Giles wasn't about to let the word 'cute,' pass his lips, in this context.
"Teenagers," Giles clarified, though even to his ears the word sounded a bit grumbled.
"Oh, I thought you meant actual children, in which case I would have to say that they didn't belong here. Rupert, I do hate to be the bearer of bad news, but it's their library. Trying to keep them out, especially given the context, would raise more suspicions than working around them." Wesley raised one shoulder in an elegant shrug. "And it isn't as if they don't already know something's up."
Giles couldn't help but smile then. "I rather thought you'd raise a fit about it. Slayer secrecy, and all."
Wesley shrugged again. "I've more or less accepted that that ship had already sailed." He quirked his eyebrow at Giles, but his smile was small enough to ignore.
"Impossible," Giles grumbled, rolling his eyes. He turned to get back to his work. As he emerged out from behind the library desk, he found himself face to face with another boy he'd never seen before.
"Yes?" The word popped out of his mouth automatically.
"Um, yeah. I was . . . like, looking for a book?" The boy looked just as confused as he sounded.
"A specific book, or would any do?" The sarcasm, too, seemed to pop out without his brain needing to understand what was going on.
"Oh!" The boy's expression brightened. "Yeah, anything's good." He bobbed his head, now grinning.
"Right." Giles tried to stamp down on his irritation. It took a few tries. Then he reached over onto the return cart and handed the boy the first thing he touched. Whatever it was, the boy seemed surprised, but pleased. He turned and walked over to the library table, apparently absorbed in the table of contents.
Giles blinked, but the boy was still there when he opened his eyes. It obviously wasn't the first time a student had ever made use of the library, but three times in one day was unprecedented. And, though Giles got back to his work, he couldn't not be aware of the boy, or of the others as they slowly trickled in and flowed out again.
It wasn't as if there were a lot of them, and they stayed out of his way. Still, Giles couldn't say he was comfortable with the arrangement, not when the library was more likely to be the target of vampire attack than other parts of the school, and not when it meant they'd have to work around other people, but nothing was perfect, and it was only for a little while. After graduation, Buffy and he would have to find somewhere else anyway.
Nodding at his own thoughts, Giles took a few more books into the office, just to make sure they were out of sight. He found Wesley bent over the Ejanish translation with a look of contented concentration on his face, and decided not to interrupt.
Back out in the library proper, Buffy and Willow had just come through the doors. The two of them stood at the doors for a moment, stunned into paralysis. Then Buffy flashed him a wide-eyed look.
"Giles!" She said it as if he were somehow responsible for the lounging teenagers. It was lower than it would have been without their presence. "What are all these people doing here?"
"Well, if I had to guess, I'd say they're reading." Giles gave her an annoyed look and realized he'd been slapping the books down a little harder than they deserved.
"Giles!" Buffy all but stomped her foot.
"They seem to be seeking shelter." Giles sighed and ducked his head to one side. "We can discuss any business we have in the stacks. They haven't yet been discovered. Other than that, well, graduation's approaching, so it won't be for long."
"Won't be long?" Willow blinked and shook her head, still sounding a bit shocked. "What happened?"
"Well, this morning a boy came in asking about books on . . . Queer Theory"--the words still didn't feel right. "And then . . . others came in and . . ." Giles waved a frazzled hand at the library. "How am I meant to know what happened? In my day, anyone calling me 'queer' was asking for a fight."
"Okay, when did this happen?" Willow asked. "I miss one day of school since I was . . . and you give away the library?" Willow's voice was high and a little squeaky by the time she finished.
"I didn't give anything away," Giles grumbled. "And the library is open to all students. Do you really want me to tell them they're not welcome?"
"No!" Willow protested, looking back at the teenagers. "No, I don't. It's just . . . gonna take some getting used to. The library's always belonged to nerds . . . and, what if Angel comes by or, or less friendly . . . v-versions." Willow lowered her voice over the last bit, glancing around to make sure no one else had heard.
"It wouldn't be the first time students have had to flee," Buffy said, and Giles saw a thoughtful look on her face. She looked up at him and Giles raised an eyebrow. "Maybe . . . maybe it's time we gave them a chance to fight."
Giles opened his mouth to speak, possibly to say something about slayers and secrecy. Buffy spoke before he could.
"No," she said, raising her hand. "We'll talk about it, just not here, or now." Buffy brightened up and shot Willow a smile. "Here, we have to find some room for homework."
She flashed her smile at Giles, too, before she and Willow went off to find room for themselves at the library table. Giles went back to his work until he felt familiar fingers brush against his elbow. Wesley blinked owlishly at him, but smiled, and Giles returned it.
"I thought I'd take a break before I had Ejanish burned into my retinas." Wesley kept his voice low. "They're all behaving themselves," Wesley said, after a glance out over the library.
"They are," Giles agreed with a small nod, and he felt himself smiling again. "I think this will work out, until graduation."
"Yes," Wesley said, his hand brushing over the small of Giles' back as he headed back into the office. "And I can't wait to see Xander's reaction."
-----
Prompt #157 - Giles say, "In my day, anyone calling me 'queer' was looking for a fight."