Myshuno! 14: Having dinner with the family
Prompt: Having dinner with the family
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 932
"What's for dinner tonight?"
Anya looked over at her twin sister, who was (unsurprisingly) still in her pajamas. "Chef salad." She handed the platter to Willow. "Here, make yourself useful and serve it, would you?"
Willow frowned down at the platter, but went to serve it anyway. Anya was already chopping the lettuce for a second salad - one platter wouldn't be enough for their entire family, after all.
When Willow was done setting out plates, she automatically went to grab one. Anya glared at her. "Wait for everyone else."
Willow glared back. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, and if we don't eat within the next hour, the ghosts will be out."
"Didn't you sleep today?"
"I took a nap, I woke up for dinner. I don't want to deal with the fucking ghosts when I'm trying to get food. I'm gonna go straight back to sleep after dinner."
"As long as you're awake before the kids need to sleep."
Willow rolled her eyes. "I will be. Don't worry about it."
When Anya finished the second salad, she put the platter on the counter and went to the door. "Dinner!" she yelled.
The rest of the family must have been waiting for that, because most of them were there immediately. Fred, Rupert, and Will happily jostled each other as they ran down the stairs, while Buffy followed at a more sedate pace.
Xander looked down from the balcony above. "Anyone seen Dad?" he asked.
"He's not down here," Anya called back.
Xander sighed. "I'll go get him. Don't want him to miss dinner now and get caught by the ghosts later."
Buffy patted him on the shoulder as she passed. "Thanks, Xander."
"No problem, Aunt Buffy."
Anya headed back inside, where she found Fred, Rupert, and Will had sat down at the table. Fred was already going for her fork and Anya stopped her. "Wait for Dad."
"But I'm hungry!"
Buffy came inside then. "Anya's right, wait for your father."
"But Mooooooooooooooooom, if we wait too long the ghosts will be out!"
Buffy ran a hand through her hair as she sat down at the chess table. "You can wait five minutes, I know you'll eat fast enough after that."
Fred pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine."
The kids sat impatiently until, three minutes later, Xander led their father into the room. Martin was, as he always seemed to be these days, a bit out of it, allowing himself to be docilely led wherever his family wanted him to go.
Xander led Martin to the table, where he sat down with the kids. Willow had joined Buffy at the chess table, leaving Anya and Xander to sit on the floor.
The instant Martin was sitting, Fred and Rupert dug into their food, as did Martin. Will poked at his with his fork, frowning.
"Aren't you hungry, Will?" Xander asked.
Will shook his head. "Not really."
"Better eat now," Willow pointed out. "If you don't eat now, you'll be hungry later."
"And it's already 6:18," Xander added.
Will sighed, but he ate anyway. Everyone knew how deadly the ghosts could be, and they were going to be out of the kitchen by 7, come hell or high water.
"So," Buffy said, when she'd finished half her salad, "how was everyone's day?"
"School was boring," Fred said. She finished her salad and looked around. "Can I have seconds?"
"Yeah, I made enough extra," Anya said. She pointed at the counter, where the extra was. "You can get your second plate on your own, though."
Fred rolled her eyes, but went to grab a second plate.
"Rupert, Will, how was school for you two?" Buffy asked.
Rupert shrugged. "Not so bad. Dirty, though."
"It always is," Willow pointed out. "It gets better when you're a teen."
"I hope so. I do not like being gross."
"It's not so bad," Will said.
Everyone else looked at him.
"What?"
Anya shook her head. "I will never understand you."
Buffy then turned to the older kids. "Xander, Willow, Anya, what'd you do today?"
"Slept, helped the kids with their homework," Xander said.
"Watched TV, washed my hands, slept," Anya said. "Then I made dinner."
"Played pinball, took a nap," Willow said. "Seriously, Mom, the same things we do every day."
Buffy sighed. "Of course. Martin, how was your day?"
Martin looked up blankly. "Oh, yes, of course. It was." Then he went back to moving the tomatoes around on his plate.
"And this is the general of the Sunnydale military," Willow muttered. "Can I say how glad I am that we don't have nuclear bombs?"
Anya tried not to, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Buffy just shook her head, a small smile on her lips.
Xander looked at the clock. "Anyone else who wants seconds should get them now," he said. "It's 6:43."
Rupert, Buffy, and Willow promptly got up to finish off the platter of salad, while Anya began collecting the plates from those who had finished.
By 6:57, everyone was done eating. The kids had left the room, headed up to do their homework on the roof, Xander and Anya going with them to help. Willow went back to bed to try and squeeze in another three hours of sleep before she had to give up the bed to someone who actually had to be awake in the morning.
Buffy gently took Martin's hand. "Come on, Martin. It's time to go upstairs."
He smiled blankly at her. "Of course, dear."
And by the time the ghosts came out, they were safely on the third floor.
Universe: A Buffyverse Apocalypse
Word Count: 932
"What's for dinner tonight?"
Anya looked over at her twin sister, who was (unsurprisingly) still in her pajamas. "Chef salad." She handed the platter to Willow. "Here, make yourself useful and serve it, would you?"
Willow frowned down at the platter, but went to serve it anyway. Anya was already chopping the lettuce for a second salad - one platter wouldn't be enough for their entire family, after all.
When Willow was done setting out plates, she automatically went to grab one. Anya glared at her. "Wait for everyone else."
Willow glared back. "I'm tired, I'm hungry, and if we don't eat within the next hour, the ghosts will be out."
"Didn't you sleep today?"
"I took a nap, I woke up for dinner. I don't want to deal with the fucking ghosts when I'm trying to get food. I'm gonna go straight back to sleep after dinner."
"As long as you're awake before the kids need to sleep."
Willow rolled her eyes. "I will be. Don't worry about it."
When Anya finished the second salad, she put the platter on the counter and went to the door. "Dinner!" she yelled.
The rest of the family must have been waiting for that, because most of them were there immediately. Fred, Rupert, and Will happily jostled each other as they ran down the stairs, while Buffy followed at a more sedate pace.
Xander looked down from the balcony above. "Anyone seen Dad?" he asked.
"He's not down here," Anya called back.
Xander sighed. "I'll go get him. Don't want him to miss dinner now and get caught by the ghosts later."
Buffy patted him on the shoulder as she passed. "Thanks, Xander."
"No problem, Aunt Buffy."
Anya headed back inside, where she found Fred, Rupert, and Will had sat down at the table. Fred was already going for her fork and Anya stopped her. "Wait for Dad."
"But I'm hungry!"
Buffy came inside then. "Anya's right, wait for your father."
"But Mooooooooooooooooom, if we wait too long the ghosts will be out!"
Buffy ran a hand through her hair as she sat down at the chess table. "You can wait five minutes, I know you'll eat fast enough after that."
Fred pouted and crossed her arms. "Fine."
The kids sat impatiently until, three minutes later, Xander led their father into the room. Martin was, as he always seemed to be these days, a bit out of it, allowing himself to be docilely led wherever his family wanted him to go.
Xander led Martin to the table, where he sat down with the kids. Willow had joined Buffy at the chess table, leaving Anya and Xander to sit on the floor.
The instant Martin was sitting, Fred and Rupert dug into their food, as did Martin. Will poked at his with his fork, frowning.
"Aren't you hungry, Will?" Xander asked.
Will shook his head. "Not really."
"Better eat now," Willow pointed out. "If you don't eat now, you'll be hungry later."
"And it's already 6:18," Xander added.
Will sighed, but he ate anyway. Everyone knew how deadly the ghosts could be, and they were going to be out of the kitchen by 7, come hell or high water.
"So," Buffy said, when she'd finished half her salad, "how was everyone's day?"
"School was boring," Fred said. She finished her salad and looked around. "Can I have seconds?"
"Yeah, I made enough extra," Anya said. She pointed at the counter, where the extra was. "You can get your second plate on your own, though."
Fred rolled her eyes, but went to grab a second plate.
"Rupert, Will, how was school for you two?" Buffy asked.
Rupert shrugged. "Not so bad. Dirty, though."
"It always is," Willow pointed out. "It gets better when you're a teen."
"I hope so. I do not like being gross."
"It's not so bad," Will said.
Everyone else looked at him.
"What?"
Anya shook her head. "I will never understand you."
Buffy then turned to the older kids. "Xander, Willow, Anya, what'd you do today?"
"Slept, helped the kids with their homework," Xander said.
"Watched TV, washed my hands, slept," Anya said. "Then I made dinner."
"Played pinball, took a nap," Willow said. "Seriously, Mom, the same things we do every day."
Buffy sighed. "Of course. Martin, how was your day?"
Martin looked up blankly. "Oh, yes, of course. It was." Then he went back to moving the tomatoes around on his plate.
"And this is the general of the Sunnydale military," Willow muttered. "Can I say how glad I am that we don't have nuclear bombs?"
Anya tried not to, but she couldn't stop herself from laughing. Buffy just shook her head, a small smile on her lips.
Xander looked at the clock. "Anyone else who wants seconds should get them now," he said. "It's 6:43."
Rupert, Buffy, and Willow promptly got up to finish off the platter of salad, while Anya began collecting the plates from those who had finished.
By 6:57, everyone was done eating. The kids had left the room, headed up to do their homework on the roof, Xander and Anya going with them to help. Willow went back to bed to try and squeeze in another three hours of sleep before she had to give up the bed to someone who actually had to be awake in the morning.
Buffy gently took Martin's hand. "Come on, Martin. It's time to go upstairs."
He smiled blankly at her. "Of course, dear."
And by the time the ghosts came out, they were safely on the third floor.