Prompt 173: Summer Time
Title Summer Time
Author thevera
Rating PG
Word Count 493
Prompt 173 - Earth
Characters Dawn, Tara
A/N: Placed between S5 and S6.
She's standing on the top of the stairs, unsure of what to do next. It's noon and the house is warm and quiet. (Maybe they're at the back or napping, and she can sneak into the kitchen and--)
“Hey,” Dawn smiles mildly at Tara, who's sitting on a couch, quietly like the house itself. She looks like she has been sitting there for hours and if Dawn hadn't spoken, she might have not moved at all (and the sneaking plan still would have worked,) but she moves now, little bit heavily, staring at Dawn with a caring expression.
“Dawnie.” She's careful. Not knowing whether smile or worry, so she's just being Tara. “Do you want me to fix you lunch?”
“I'm not really hungry,” Dawn admits apologetically (but no one's going to blame her for anything, not now.) And she really isn't, she realizes, and maybe she was just looking for Tara all along. “I was thinking,” (no thinking,) “maybe we could take a walk?”
Tara smiles, for real this time, but not too brightly, like she could hurt Dawn with a single muscle twitch; and Dawn wants to let her know that it's alright, that she's ready, but actions speak louder than words, don't they?
“Willow won't mind?” No, wrong, where is Willow? was the right question. But somehow she knows she just can't handle two people at once.
“Willow's not here, sweetie.” Tara's not mad. Just worried. Always worried. If it were ten days ago, it would freak Dawn out. “She found a job at the library, shifts every Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Oh.” Now it just feels safe. Stable. Necessary.
They walk out of the door (the sun!) and everything is (magically) different. Like nobody ever dies and like it's not the first time Dawn left her room since the day someone did die and like there are no demons or hellgods or vampires (and Spike will never feel this way, but Spike-thoughts are off-limit, because they lead to thinking of other people who--) And they talk.
About whether they're a dog or a cat person (Dawn prefer dogs and they have a huge argument about pros and cons of each pet), about Tara's classes (“... and no way I would take Visual Arts. Do you actually get to make things?”), about her first girlfriend (with a lots of blushing and persuading) and the weather.
Suddenly, Tara stops and puts on her, as Dawn secretly calls it, devilish face (at least as devilish as it can get, mind you) and tempting voice and asks: “Still not hungry?”
“Not lunch hungry, no,” Dawn nods and eyes Tara suspiciously. “Why?”
“No ice-cream craving, tummy fondling hunger either?” This witch really knows her magic. and this girl/former ball of energy feels suddenly very, very grateful.
Dawn makes a squeaky noise and hugs Tara tightly. And holds.
(Actions, huh?)
Author thevera
Rating PG
Word Count 493
Prompt 173 - Earth
Characters Dawn, Tara
A/N: Placed between S5 and S6.
She's standing on the top of the stairs, unsure of what to do next. It's noon and the house is warm and quiet. (Maybe they're at the back or napping, and she can sneak into the kitchen and--)
“Hey,” Dawn smiles mildly at Tara, who's sitting on a couch, quietly like the house itself. She looks like she has been sitting there for hours and if Dawn hadn't spoken, she might have not moved at all (and the sneaking plan still would have worked,) but she moves now, little bit heavily, staring at Dawn with a caring expression.
“Dawnie.” She's careful. Not knowing whether smile or worry, so she's just being Tara. “Do you want me to fix you lunch?”
“I'm not really hungry,” Dawn admits apologetically (but no one's going to blame her for anything, not now.) And she really isn't, she realizes, and maybe she was just looking for Tara all along. “I was thinking,” (no thinking,) “maybe we could take a walk?”
Tara smiles, for real this time, but not too brightly, like she could hurt Dawn with a single muscle twitch; and Dawn wants to let her know that it's alright, that she's ready, but actions speak louder than words, don't they?
“Willow won't mind?” No, wrong, where is Willow? was the right question. But somehow she knows she just can't handle two people at once.
“Willow's not here, sweetie.” Tara's not mad. Just worried. Always worried. If it were ten days ago, it would freak Dawn out. “She found a job at the library, shifts every Tuesday and Thursday.”
“Oh.” Now it just feels safe. Stable. Necessary.
They walk out of the door (the sun!) and everything is (magically) different. Like nobody ever dies and like it's not the first time Dawn left her room since the day someone did die and like there are no demons or hellgods or vampires (and Spike will never feel this way, but Spike-thoughts are off-limit, because they lead to thinking of other people who--) And they talk.
About whether they're a dog or a cat person (Dawn prefer dogs and they have a huge argument about pros and cons of each pet), about Tara's classes (“... and no way I would take Visual Arts. Do you actually get to make things?”), about her first girlfriend (with a lots of blushing and persuading) and the weather.
Suddenly, Tara stops and puts on her, as Dawn secretly calls it, devilish face (at least as devilish as it can get, mind you) and tempting voice and asks: “Still not hungry?”
“Not lunch hungry, no,” Dawn nods and eyes Tara suspiciously. “Why?”
“No ice-cream craving, tummy fondling hunger either?” This witch really knows her magic. and this girl/former ball of energy feels suddenly very, very grateful.
Dawn makes a squeaky noise and hugs Tara tightly. And holds.
(Actions, huh?)