Myshuno! 8: Teen Liam wakes up to find the apocalypse was just a dream
Prompt: Teen Liam wakes up to find the apocalypse was just a dream
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 1111
Notes: AU. Obviously.
Liam woke with a strangled scream. His skin was sweaty, his heart was racing, his breath was panicked, and he could feel tears in the corners of his eyes. For a long moment, he wasn't sure where he was, but then he realized. He was home.
He shakily swiped away the tears and opened his eyes, looking around at his room. It was small, but it was his. He didn't have to share it with anyone...unlike in his dream.
He could hear screaming from down the hall - loud, yes, but nothing he wasn't used to or able to sleep through. It definitely wasn't what had woken him, though it did sound like Willow and Anya were still recovering from the diaper rash Cordelia had been worried about the day before. Briefly, he considered getting up and offering to help, but it was a school day and he had enough to do to get ready for that. They weren't his kids and while he was happy to help sometimes, it was also good not to have to help all the time.
Instead, Liam took some time to recover from his nightmare. Nightmare was definitely a more accurate word than dream, and he needed that recovery time - lying in bed allowed his heart to stop racing and his breathing to calm down. He lay in bed until 6:55, five minutes before his alarm was due to go off, then forced himself up. Once he was up he showered, reveling in the feel of fresh hot water, cleaning the sweat off his skin.
After his shower, he brushed his teeth and his hair and got dressed. Then he gathered his sheets and dumped them down the laundry chute. The maid would take care of them later, but this way she would know that his bed needed to be changed, and he wouldn't have to sleep on sweaty sheets because she'd simply made the bed instead of changing it. When he was done with that, he gathered his schoolbooks and grabbed his jacket and headed downstairs.
The kitchen was full by the time he arrived. Martin and Cordelia had the twins in highchairs and were feeding them cheerios, Buffy was getting glasses, silverware, juice, and condiments, Xander was making sure he had everything he needed for school, his mother was at the stove, making breakfast, and his father was leaning against the counter next to the stove, smiling at the happy chaos and checking on the coffeepot, obviously waiting for his morning caffeine.
His mother plated the food and carried it to the table, setting plates in front of Buffy, Xander, and Liam - the three who had to leave the house earliest that day. As she gave Liam his plate, he smiled shakily up at her, remembering what she'd been like in his dream - she was still old in the real world, yes, but she wasn't senile, and that made all the difference. She squeezed his shoulder gently. "Everything all right, Liam?"
"Bad dream." He pulled over the carton of orange juice and poured glasses for himself and Xander, who smiled as Liam passed one to him. "Very weird dream, too."
"The twins didn't wake you?"
He shook his head. "No, I mean, I heard them, but I was up already."
She nodded. "Alright. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Thanks."
With that, she returned to the stove and made plates for herself, his dad, Martin, and Cordelia. She also set some eggs and toast on a plate to let them cool down so the twins wouldn't burn themselves eating it. Meanwhile, his dad poured coffee for the adults other than Cordelia, who was pregnant for the third time and avoiding coffee. Liam poured another cup of juice and passed it to her, relishing her thankful smile.
Breakfast wasn't exactly quiet - no meal with twins under the age of three could ever be quiet - but there wasn't much conversation either, as everyone was too absorbed in eating and getting ready for their days. Liam kept shooting glances at his family, trying not to be noticed, but unable to stop looking. He needed to see them, to know that they were there - his parents, old but healthy and still in love, his sister and her husband and their kids, happy and growing and all there, and his other sister, carefree without the weight of responsibility that had defined her in his nightmare.
At eight, Buffy stood up. "Alright, Liam, Xander, time to get going." Xander kissed his grandparents, parents, and sisters and was out the door in a flash. Liam bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek, then squeezed his father's hand, holding on for just a second too long.
Buffy never turned on music on the drive to work, so the car ride was filled with the sounds of Xander babbling about everything his teacher had told his class that they'd be doing that day. Buffy and Liam listened, interjecting questions here and there, but mostly letting Xander talk.
They drove up to the elementary school first and Xander happily got out. "Bye Liam! Bye Aunt Buffy!" He practically skipped to the front door as Liam and Buffy smiled after him.
They were always a little early to the high school - either Xander was going to be a little late or Liam was going to be a little early, and everyone preferred the latter, including Liam. Buffy stopped the car in their usual spot near the door. "Everything alright?" she asked. "You seemed a little off at breakfast."
"Yeah, I...bad dream. Seriously bad dream."
"What about?"
He shook his head. "That's a very long story and I'm not sure I really want to tell it."
She shrugged. "Okay. If you want to talk, though, I'm here."
"I know." He bit his lip, hesitating, then decided to go for it. "Buffy?"
"Yeah, Liam?"
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Of course. I love you too."
They sat in awkward silence for a moment, having said things aloud that usually remained implicit. "What brought this on?" Buffy finally asked, when Liam was still sitting there instead of leaving the car.
Liam shook his head. "Dream. Nightmare. It was bad, Buffy, but...I'm glad things are how they are, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. And me too." She glanced at the clock. "Alright, kid, you've got school and I've got work. I'll see you at dinner?"
"See you then." And with that, Liam climbed out of the car and headed for school, happier than he could say that this was his life, rather than the nightmare.
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 1111
Notes: AU. Obviously.
Liam woke with a strangled scream. His skin was sweaty, his heart was racing, his breath was panicked, and he could feel tears in the corners of his eyes. For a long moment, he wasn't sure where he was, but then he realized. He was home.
He shakily swiped away the tears and opened his eyes, looking around at his room. It was small, but it was his. He didn't have to share it with anyone...unlike in his dream.
He could hear screaming from down the hall - loud, yes, but nothing he wasn't used to or able to sleep through. It definitely wasn't what had woken him, though it did sound like Willow and Anya were still recovering from the diaper rash Cordelia had been worried about the day before. Briefly, he considered getting up and offering to help, but it was a school day and he had enough to do to get ready for that. They weren't his kids and while he was happy to help sometimes, it was also good not to have to help all the time.
Instead, Liam took some time to recover from his nightmare. Nightmare was definitely a more accurate word than dream, and he needed that recovery time - lying in bed allowed his heart to stop racing and his breathing to calm down. He lay in bed until 6:55, five minutes before his alarm was due to go off, then forced himself up. Once he was up he showered, reveling in the feel of fresh hot water, cleaning the sweat off his skin.
After his shower, he brushed his teeth and his hair and got dressed. Then he gathered his sheets and dumped them down the laundry chute. The maid would take care of them later, but this way she would know that his bed needed to be changed, and he wouldn't have to sleep on sweaty sheets because she'd simply made the bed instead of changing it. When he was done with that, he gathered his schoolbooks and grabbed his jacket and headed downstairs.
The kitchen was full by the time he arrived. Martin and Cordelia had the twins in highchairs and were feeding them cheerios, Buffy was getting glasses, silverware, juice, and condiments, Xander was making sure he had everything he needed for school, his mother was at the stove, making breakfast, and his father was leaning against the counter next to the stove, smiling at the happy chaos and checking on the coffeepot, obviously waiting for his morning caffeine.
His mother plated the food and carried it to the table, setting plates in front of Buffy, Xander, and Liam - the three who had to leave the house earliest that day. As she gave Liam his plate, he smiled shakily up at her, remembering what she'd been like in his dream - she was still old in the real world, yes, but she wasn't senile, and that made all the difference. She squeezed his shoulder gently. "Everything all right, Liam?"
"Bad dream." He pulled over the carton of orange juice and poured glasses for himself and Xander, who smiled as Liam passed one to him. "Very weird dream, too."
"The twins didn't wake you?"
He shook his head. "No, I mean, I heard them, but I was up already."
She nodded. "Alright. Do you want to talk about it?"
"No. Thanks."
With that, she returned to the stove and made plates for herself, his dad, Martin, and Cordelia. She also set some eggs and toast on a plate to let them cool down so the twins wouldn't burn themselves eating it. Meanwhile, his dad poured coffee for the adults other than Cordelia, who was pregnant for the third time and avoiding coffee. Liam poured another cup of juice and passed it to her, relishing her thankful smile.
Breakfast wasn't exactly quiet - no meal with twins under the age of three could ever be quiet - but there wasn't much conversation either, as everyone was too absorbed in eating and getting ready for their days. Liam kept shooting glances at his family, trying not to be noticed, but unable to stop looking. He needed to see them, to know that they were there - his parents, old but healthy and still in love, his sister and her husband and their kids, happy and growing and all there, and his other sister, carefree without the weight of responsibility that had defined her in his nightmare.
At eight, Buffy stood up. "Alright, Liam, Xander, time to get going." Xander kissed his grandparents, parents, and sisters and was out the door in a flash. Liam bent down to kiss his mother on the cheek, then squeezed his father's hand, holding on for just a second too long.
Buffy never turned on music on the drive to work, so the car ride was filled with the sounds of Xander babbling about everything his teacher had told his class that they'd be doing that day. Buffy and Liam listened, interjecting questions here and there, but mostly letting Xander talk.
They drove up to the elementary school first and Xander happily got out. "Bye Liam! Bye Aunt Buffy!" He practically skipped to the front door as Liam and Buffy smiled after him.
They were always a little early to the high school - either Xander was going to be a little late or Liam was going to be a little early, and everyone preferred the latter, including Liam. Buffy stopped the car in their usual spot near the door. "Everything alright?" she asked. "You seemed a little off at breakfast."
"Yeah, I...bad dream. Seriously bad dream."
"What about?"
He shook his head. "That's a very long story and I'm not sure I really want to tell it."
She shrugged. "Okay. If you want to talk, though, I'm here."
"I know." He bit his lip, hesitating, then decided to go for it. "Buffy?"
"Yeah, Liam?"
"I love you. You know that, right?"
"Of course. I love you too."
They sat in awkward silence for a moment, having said things aloud that usually remained implicit. "What brought this on?" Buffy finally asked, when Liam was still sitting there instead of leaving the car.
Liam shook his head. "Dream. Nightmare. It was bad, Buffy, but...I'm glad things are how they are, you know?"
"Yeah, I do. And me too." She glanced at the clock. "Alright, kid, you've got school and I've got work. I'll see you at dinner?"
"See you then." And with that, Liam climbed out of the car and headed for school, happier than he could say that this was his life, rather than the nightmare.