The After Party, Giles/Anya, Chapter 3/4
“You’re completely piss drunk, you know that?”
Anya made a sound halfway between a snort of contempt and a giggle. “I’m not the only one.”
It was true, but Giles wasn’t about to admit it. After they had waded through his bourbon he had gone on a quick hunt for something else, only to find two beers in the back of the fridge behind takeout boxes. They could have had a better last drink, but he didn’t want to go and look of something else. He might actually find it and end up out of alcohol.
“I’ve told you why I’m here,” she continued.
“It left you at the altar.” He clarified, now knowing to avoid the ‘X’ word. He was out two shot glasses after he said the name, and he made a mental note to clean up the glass in the morning.
“Shut-up.” Anya tipped back the empty beer bottle, trying to get just one more drop. “So why didn’t you ask?
“How could I?”
“Exactly! Why haven’t you called?”
Ah yes, his phone silence. After hearing her news he was rather compelled to call Buffy, after all, if the happy couple ended up in hell what was to be said of those already there? Still, there was no reason to jump to conclusions.
“Hello? Giles?”
He took off his glasses and laid them on the counter, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger. “When did this end up about me? Aren’t you the one in the need of a pity drink?”
“Pity?” Anya pushed herself off the stool and onto her wobbly feet. “You think I came here for pity?”
Giles turned on the stool to face her. “Then why-”
She lurched forward, putting her hands on the counter on either side of him, forcing him to lean back or collide with her face. “I don’t need your pity.”
He stared at her face, eyes nearly crossing at how close she was. “Alright.”
“Now.” She stumbled backwards. “I’m leaving.”
“No, no you’re not.” Giles nearly fell on his face as he jumped up and grabbed her arm.
“Hey! Let go. I can teleport whenever I want.”
“When you’re drunk? You’ll end up in a bloody wall.”
“Like all the dead people in China?”
“What?”
“People, in China, they died when-”
“I know what you’re talking about I just-” Giles sighed. “Look, I’d rather not worry. You can sleep on my bed and I can have the couch.”
“What? And listen to you complain about back problems when I wake up tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow I’m probably going to be more worried about a hangover.”
“Still, I don’t want to have to hear about you being old.”
“Old?” His spine stiffened at the insult. “You’re older than me.”
“Well I’ve kept better,” she shot back.
They glowered at each other a moment before Anya finally pulled herself out of Giles’ grasp.
“I’ll go get some blankets,” he mumbled, turning to shuffle down the hallway.
She hesitated as she went to approached the sofa, the stacks of books nearby making the journey look perilous. Anya wobbled through them until she reached the parchment covered cushions and knocked the scrolls onto the floor before letting herself fall onto the sofa. She wasn’t letting Giles win, this was just closer than his bed.
“I see your respect for my things hasn’t changed at all.” Giles sighed, laying the blanket he found across his arm.
Anya watched him from the other end of the sofa, feeling too tired and sick to move anymore. He sighed again before reaching for one of her feet and slipping off a shoe. His fingers brushed against the bottom of her foot and it twitched as it tickled her, making him smirk.
“Why are you seducing me?”
“Seducing you? I’m taking off your shoes.”
“So you’re undressing me- same thing.”
“They are not, seduction comes before undressing. Besides, these are just your shoes.” He dropped them onto the floor with as much carelessness as she showed his scrolls. “Of course.” His hands went back to her feet, fingers trailing down her ankles. “Now that I have found a weakness…”
“Don’t you dare- by-” The rest of her sentence was cut off as Giles began his attack on her feet, making her struggle to escape his grasp and try not laugh all the way. Anya noticed a small smile forming on his face as he tried to remain in control and continue his tickle attack. Still, despite the fact she was suddenly genuinely enjoying what was happening, she was still flailing, and her foot collided with Giles’ face, sending him falling backwards.
“Bloody hell..”
“Oh God, Giles!” Anya crawled to the other end of the sofa and peered over the arm down at the floor. “Are you bleeding?”
“Uh no, I don’t think so.” He was laying flat on his back, looking dazed.
“That’s a relief.” She reached out her hand. “Now give me the blanket.”
His mouth opened and his expression seemed to ask ‘that’s it?’ but he clicked his jaw shut without saying a word and just held the blanket up. Of course, he didn’t hold it that far up, so Anya took it upon herself to stretch out away from the sofa and reach for it. By the time her hand was close enough to grasp the wool, more than half of her was hanging over the air. As she grabbed the blanket Giles yanked, sending her shrieking off the sofa and onto the ground, on top of him.
All the air knocked out of him with Anya landing on top of him, he barely managed to gasp out, “I didn’t think that through.”
Quickly pulling herself back together, she glared down at him. “Why?”
“Well, I was trying to think quickly-”
“No, not that. Why were you stopping at my shoes?”
“Pardon?”
“How come you weren’t trying to undress the rest of me? Am I not attractive?”
Giles gaped at her.
“Why don’t you think I’m attractive?”
“I-I-”
“Well?”
“I do.”
“Then why weren’t you trying to undress me?”
“I didn’t think it would be appropriate.”
“And me lying on top of you is?”
His eyes went down as if just noticing she was squishing him. “Well-”
“Well what? You wouldn’t have had a problem with this is we were still engaged.”
It took him a moment to fully comprehend what she meant. “If we-? I had no idea who I was! And you were the one with the hands that-” A thought finally struck him. “Do you want me to undress you?”
Her accusatory face suddenly went blank. “What?”
“I believe you heard me.”
“No, no I didn’t.” She put her hands on the floor, trying to push herself up and off of him.
He wrapped his arms around her before she could escape. “I think you did.”
Anya panicked. “Let go!” Because of his arms holding her in place, she flicked him in the nose with her forefinger.
“Ow!”
“It’s what you deserve, now let me go.”
“Not until you answer my question.”
“You won't answer mine.” She gave one last feeble struggle to get up.
“I will.”
Anya froze, finally allowing herself to look Giles in the eye.
“I promise Anya, just-”
She cut him off as quickly as she could “I want to remember.”
“Remember-?”
“What it was like to be with someone, and be happy.”
“Happy? With you hitting me with books and screaming every time a bunny popped into existence?”
Tears stinging her eyes, Anya felt ready to use her demon strength to get away from him, breaking him several times in the process. Yet as she pulled away Giles hands left her waist, leaving little resistance. Then they were cupping her face, pulling her back to him so his lips could capture hers. She felt her body go tingly and numb, and she gaped down at him stupidly when he finished the kiss.
“There's not much I want to remember right now.”
She felt the urge to hit him return. “If you think that kiss was-”
“No, Anya, that's not what I meant. What I want to say is, I'm willing to help you remember something good, and I feel due for some positive memories.”
“Than you better make it good.”
She kissed him.