FIC: Who Would Win? (1/1)
Title: Who Would Win?
Summary: Why does Xander keep defending her, anyway?
Rating/Warning: None and none! Happy and safe for all! Show it to the kiddies and marvel as their minds aren't warped by foul language! If I'm not being holier-than-thou and refraining from rating fics, this one gets a nice safe PG for maybe one semi-bad word.
Author's Note: I wrote this one about six months ago, and I've never quite felt like it was where I wanted it to be. Still, I feel like I'd like to re-assert my firm B/X stance after all the F/X I've written lately, so here it is.
***
"You my friend, " Xander Harris said to the diminutive blonde known as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Are a total loon."
"Oh I'm a loon? You're only sticking up for her because she's a hot chick!" Buffy fumed, slamming down her fork so she could properly shake a chastising finger in her so-called-friend's face.
"Hey, I resent that! I don't stick up for people just cause they're hot chicks."
Buffy looked him square in the eye, "Ok, name one good looking woman you never stuck up for."
Xander blinked. He opened his mouth, to speak, and then closed it again.
"Exactly!" she said.
"This is besides the point!" Xander insisted. Xander looked to Willow, seated across the long table. It was dinnertime in the Watcher's Compound, but the normal incessant chatter of a dozen teenaged girls was silent, as the whole hall stared at the battle of wills between Xander Harris and Buffy Summers.
"Tell 'er Willow!" he pleaded.
"I refrain from comment on the grounds that she is indeed a hot chick, and my judgment may be cloudy," Willow said.
"Abandoning me in my darkest hour? This shall not be forgotten!" Xander exclaimed.
Willow shrugged. Xander should have known better than to get in this argument in the first place. It wasn't the first time he and Buffy had argued over it.
"You have to admit it Xander, you always stick up for the good looking women, and that's the only reason you're sticking up for her."
"No I just genuinely think she's better, that's all," Xander said smugly.
"She was evil!" Buffy screeched.
"You would bring that up, wouldn't you? She can't help how she was raised."
"Oh please. You'd have to be an airhead to live in a situation like that and not know you're evil," Buffy scoffed.
"There was magic involved!" Xander argued.
"Hey until you can name one hot girl that you didn't support, your arguments are meaningless," Buffy said airily.
Xander screwed up his face in frustration.
"See? You can't even think of one."
"I can think of one, I just..." Xander trailed off.
"Well spit it out then?"
"I didn't support you. Not with Angel, and not with the assault on the Chateau the second time," Xander whispered.
Buffy was halfway into her argument on why that didn't count when she realized the hidden compliment.
"You think I'm hot?" she asked.
Willow snorted into her mashed potatoes.
"Quiet you!" Buffy snapped.
"Well, I mean, yeah I guess I do," Xander shrugged. "I thought you already knew that."
Buffy frowned. She had known. Sort of. It's just that she hadn't really thought of it in a long time. She knew Xander had had a crush on her years ago, but that couldn't still be, could it? From the deep shade of red he had flushed, she was unsure.
"Uh...I gotta go..." Xander struggled to think of a reason. "Pee. I mean bathroom! I have to go to the bathroom. Not to pee!" he added quickly. "I mean, not the other thing either but just...um...I gotta go." He knocked over a glass in his haste to depart from the table.
All was silent.
Then the table erupted into loud whispers and the giggling of teenaged girls.
Buffy just stood there, completely shocked. She honestly had not expected the running argument they'd had to lead to something like this.
*He only said you were hot*, Buffy thought. Not that he had a crush on you or anything. Although from the way he reacted it certainly seemed like there was more. She excused herself and decided to go after him.
***
She found him staring out at the night sky from one of the many balconies in the compound. The former mansion was now the training facility for over three-dozen slayers at any time, with more coming in all the time. It was nestled away in a hilled countryside in England, free from prying eyes. The view of the stars at night always impressed both of the former Californians. Smog and light pollution made stargazing a rough hobby back in Sunnydale.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he replied wittily.
They both stood there and silently watched the stars for a long time.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Buffy finally said.
Xander shrugged, and then rubbed at his eye patch self-consciously. It tended to throb a bit on cold nights like this.
"I'm sorry Buffy," he said softly. "The last thing I wanted was to shove another wedge in our friendship."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not exactly the best of friends anymore Buffy. Ever since...ever since 'the patch' it's been kind of off with us, you know?" He did his best to keep his eye looking up at the stars and not at her. "Like I'm not really as capable anymore, and you can't rely on me cause I'm fragile. I don't want to add weird crushy feelings on top of that."
The patch? Did he really think that she thought...? Crushy feelings?
"Xander I know - I know that since 'the patch' I've been kind of different, but it's not because of you. I just, "she blinked, feeling her eyes water. "It's my fault that you have it Xander, and I can't help but think about how I failed you completely every time I see it, and I know it's unfair to make you feel even worse just because it makes me feel bad but I can't help it because if I hadn't been such a bad leader you might still have it and I know you must hate me for it!"
Xander smiled a little. Willow seemed to have rubbed off some on Buffy. He turned his gaze from the stars and fixed his eye on hers. She was hugging herself, eyes watering as she tried not to look at his patch.
"Buff," he said, shortening her name. He put his hands on her shoulders, making sure she knew how serious he was. "This isn't your fault."
"I'm the one who led us there Xander! I'm the one who got tricked and you're the one who got hurt because of it!" she yelled angrily, but her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Buffy, you know I love you, but you're such a loon sometimes," he smoothed back her hair lovingly.
"If I was in the army and my general or admiral or whatever it is came up to me and said, 'Listen son, I need you to go jump off that cliff onto those sharp rocks because that's an order!' do you think I would do it?"
She shook her head, sniffling.
"And if Buffy Summers came to me and said, "Listen Xander, I need you to go jump off that cliff onto those sharp rocks because I think it might save the world" do you think I would do it?"
She frowned at him, wondering where this was going.
"I don't know Xander, it's not the same thing."
"It is though. Buffy for as long as I've known you I've been trying to get you to realize two things. One of those things is that me being here, me being in this fight? Those are Xander decisions, and only certified Grade A Xanders get to make them. It's my decision to fight as a grunt in the Buffy Summers army, and that means it's my responsibility if I get hurt doing what she tells me."
"What's the other thing?"
He smiled softly. "I was kinda hoping you knew that one already."
"Is it- is it that you love me?" she asked brazenly. He leaned his head a little closer to hers, as if to tell her a secret.
"It's that I'll always love you Buffy, no matter what you do, right or wrong. Cause trust me," he added. "You've done plenty wrong for me to have tested the matter."
She sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"You, you know that I love you too, right Xander?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer. She loved Xander, but she wasn't sure she loved him like he loved her. He was Xander, her best guy friend and someone she knew would always be there for her.
"I know Buff, I know," he looked so sad, and she was sure that it was because he knew she didn't love him the way he loved her.
So she kissed him. He froze at the contact for a moment before pressing back softly against her lips. He tasted clean. Not like the sterile taste of Riley or the slightly bitter taste of death with Angel or Spike.
They had been kissing for at least five minutes before she had realized it, caught up in the pure unspoken emotion he impressed upon her with this kiss. It was the one Xander had always been waiting for, and eight years of love and devotion worked it's way into that kiss. She was panting when it finished.
As she stared at him, trying to determine her feelings, he leaned in close to her. She thought he would kiss her again, and for a moment she thought of pulling back. She didn't, but instead of kissing her he brought his lips close to her ear.
"She-Ra would still win," he whispered. She could hardly believe it. Then she broke into a wide grin.
"Xander, come on. He-Man has the sword of POWER. He'd totally win. It's not even a contest."
"You're sweet, but so stupid," he said jokingly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. The touch almost made her shiver. "The Sword of Honor can turn into anything. She-Ra's totally got him beat."
"Oh please, all it ever turned into was a rope!"
The fight continued into the night, with only the occassional break, where silence would reign as they tasted of each other's lips. And although they never resolved who would win in a fight between She-Ra and He-Man, she felt certain that she'd resolved something much more important. She had feelings for Xander, buried and confused, but feelings. Where they went from here would be anyone's guess.
The only thing she knew for sure was that He-Man would have kicked She-Ra's ass so bad it wasn't even funny.
Summary: Why does Xander keep defending her, anyway?
Rating/Warning: None and none! Happy and safe for all! Show it to the kiddies and marvel as their minds aren't warped by foul language! If I'm not being holier-than-thou and refraining from rating fics, this one gets a nice safe PG for maybe one semi-bad word.
Author's Note: I wrote this one about six months ago, and I've never quite felt like it was where I wanted it to be. Still, I feel like I'd like to re-assert my firm B/X stance after all the F/X I've written lately, so here it is.
***
"You my friend, " Xander Harris said to the diminutive blonde known as Buffy the Vampire Slayer. "Are a total loon."
"Oh I'm a loon? You're only sticking up for her because she's a hot chick!" Buffy fumed, slamming down her fork so she could properly shake a chastising finger in her so-called-friend's face.
"Hey, I resent that! I don't stick up for people just cause they're hot chicks."
Buffy looked him square in the eye, "Ok, name one good looking woman you never stuck up for."
Xander blinked. He opened his mouth, to speak, and then closed it again.
"Exactly!" she said.
"This is besides the point!" Xander insisted. Xander looked to Willow, seated across the long table. It was dinnertime in the Watcher's Compound, but the normal incessant chatter of a dozen teenaged girls was silent, as the whole hall stared at the battle of wills between Xander Harris and Buffy Summers.
"Tell 'er Willow!" he pleaded.
"I refrain from comment on the grounds that she is indeed a hot chick, and my judgment may be cloudy," Willow said.
"Abandoning me in my darkest hour? This shall not be forgotten!" Xander exclaimed.
Willow shrugged. Xander should have known better than to get in this argument in the first place. It wasn't the first time he and Buffy had argued over it.
"You have to admit it Xander, you always stick up for the good looking women, and that's the only reason you're sticking up for her."
"No I just genuinely think she's better, that's all," Xander said smugly.
"She was evil!" Buffy screeched.
"You would bring that up, wouldn't you? She can't help how she was raised."
"Oh please. You'd have to be an airhead to live in a situation like that and not know you're evil," Buffy scoffed.
"There was magic involved!" Xander argued.
"Hey until you can name one hot girl that you didn't support, your arguments are meaningless," Buffy said airily.
Xander screwed up his face in frustration.
"See? You can't even think of one."
"I can think of one, I just..." Xander trailed off.
"Well spit it out then?"
"I didn't support you. Not with Angel, and not with the assault on the Chateau the second time," Xander whispered.
Buffy was halfway into her argument on why that didn't count when she realized the hidden compliment.
"You think I'm hot?" she asked.
Willow snorted into her mashed potatoes.
"Quiet you!" Buffy snapped.
"Well, I mean, yeah I guess I do," Xander shrugged. "I thought you already knew that."
Buffy frowned. She had known. Sort of. It's just that she hadn't really thought of it in a long time. She knew Xander had had a crush on her years ago, but that couldn't still be, could it? From the deep shade of red he had flushed, she was unsure.
"Uh...I gotta go..." Xander struggled to think of a reason. "Pee. I mean bathroom! I have to go to the bathroom. Not to pee!" he added quickly. "I mean, not the other thing either but just...um...I gotta go." He knocked over a glass in his haste to depart from the table.
All was silent.
Then the table erupted into loud whispers and the giggling of teenaged girls.
Buffy just stood there, completely shocked. She honestly had not expected the running argument they'd had to lead to something like this.
*He only said you were hot*, Buffy thought. Not that he had a crush on you or anything. Although from the way he reacted it certainly seemed like there was more. She excused herself and decided to go after him.
***
She found him staring out at the night sky from one of the many balconies in the compound. The former mansion was now the training facility for over three-dozen slayers at any time, with more coming in all the time. It was nestled away in a hilled countryside in England, free from prying eyes. The view of the stars at night always impressed both of the former Californians. Smog and light pollution made stargazing a rough hobby back in Sunnydale.
"Hey," she said.
"Hey," he replied wittily.
They both stood there and silently watched the stars for a long time.
"I didn't mean to embarrass you," Buffy finally said.
Xander shrugged, and then rubbed at his eye patch self-consciously. It tended to throb a bit on cold nights like this.
"I'm sorry Buffy," he said softly. "The last thing I wanted was to shove another wedge in our friendship."
"What do you mean?"
"We're not exactly the best of friends anymore Buffy. Ever since...ever since 'the patch' it's been kind of off with us, you know?" He did his best to keep his eye looking up at the stars and not at her. "Like I'm not really as capable anymore, and you can't rely on me cause I'm fragile. I don't want to add weird crushy feelings on top of that."
The patch? Did he really think that she thought...? Crushy feelings?
"Xander I know - I know that since 'the patch' I've been kind of different, but it's not because of you. I just, "she blinked, feeling her eyes water. "It's my fault that you have it Xander, and I can't help but think about how I failed you completely every time I see it, and I know it's unfair to make you feel even worse just because it makes me feel bad but I can't help it because if I hadn't been such a bad leader you might still have it and I know you must hate me for it!"
Xander smiled a little. Willow seemed to have rubbed off some on Buffy. He turned his gaze from the stars and fixed his eye on hers. She was hugging herself, eyes watering as she tried not to look at his patch.
"Buff," he said, shortening her name. He put his hands on her shoulders, making sure she knew how serious he was. "This isn't your fault."
"I'm the one who led us there Xander! I'm the one who got tricked and you're the one who got hurt because of it!" she yelled angrily, but her eyes brimmed with tears.
"Buffy, you know I love you, but you're such a loon sometimes," he smoothed back her hair lovingly.
"If I was in the army and my general or admiral or whatever it is came up to me and said, 'Listen son, I need you to go jump off that cliff onto those sharp rocks because that's an order!' do you think I would do it?"
She shook her head, sniffling.
"And if Buffy Summers came to me and said, "Listen Xander, I need you to go jump off that cliff onto those sharp rocks because I think it might save the world" do you think I would do it?"
She frowned at him, wondering where this was going.
"I don't know Xander, it's not the same thing."
"It is though. Buffy for as long as I've known you I've been trying to get you to realize two things. One of those things is that me being here, me being in this fight? Those are Xander decisions, and only certified Grade A Xanders get to make them. It's my decision to fight as a grunt in the Buffy Summers army, and that means it's my responsibility if I get hurt doing what she tells me."
"What's the other thing?"
He smiled softly. "I was kinda hoping you knew that one already."
"Is it- is it that you love me?" she asked brazenly. He leaned his head a little closer to hers, as if to tell her a secret.
"It's that I'll always love you Buffy, no matter what you do, right or wrong. Cause trust me," he added. "You've done plenty wrong for me to have tested the matter."
She sniffed, wiping tears from her eyes.
"You, you know that I love you too, right Xander?" she asked, a little afraid of the answer. She loved Xander, but she wasn't sure she loved him like he loved her. He was Xander, her best guy friend and someone she knew would always be there for her.
"I know Buff, I know," he looked so sad, and she was sure that it was because he knew she didn't love him the way he loved her.
So she kissed him. He froze at the contact for a moment before pressing back softly against her lips. He tasted clean. Not like the sterile taste of Riley or the slightly bitter taste of death with Angel or Spike.
They had been kissing for at least five minutes before she had realized it, caught up in the pure unspoken emotion he impressed upon her with this kiss. It was the one Xander had always been waiting for, and eight years of love and devotion worked it's way into that kiss. She was panting when it finished.
As she stared at him, trying to determine her feelings, he leaned in close to her. She thought he would kiss her again, and for a moment she thought of pulling back. She didn't, but instead of kissing her he brought his lips close to her ear.
"She-Ra would still win," he whispered. She could hardly believe it. Then she broke into a wide grin.
"Xander, come on. He-Man has the sword of POWER. He'd totally win. It's not even a contest."
"You're sweet, but so stupid," he said jokingly as he brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. The touch almost made her shiver. "The Sword of Honor can turn into anything. She-Ra's totally got him beat."
"Oh please, all it ever turned into was a rope!"
The fight continued into the night, with only the occassional break, where silence would reign as they tasted of each other's lips. And although they never resolved who would win in a fight between She-Ra and He-Man, she felt certain that she'd resolved something much more important. She had feelings for Xander, buried and confused, but feelings. Where they went from here would be anyone's guess.
The only thing she knew for sure was that He-Man would have kicked She-Ra's ass so bad it wasn't even funny.