[Sharing one wonderful, one short day]
Title: Idle Hours
Pairing: Buffy/Tara
Rating: PG, for now...
Set: During Season 6
Buffy took off her Doublemeat hat briefly to run her hand through her hair. It was still weird to feel the ends brush her cheeks. At least the cloying smell of grease didn’t envelope her so much anymore now that her hair was shorter. Not that it didn’t seem to ooze out of her skin or saturate her clothes or you know, cause people to stay at least 10 feet away from her at all times, unless you counted Spike, which she didn’t. Between work, slaying, and other…uh, sweaty activities, she had never felt so disgusting in her entire life.
What had happened to her? She had always been a hip girl with a penchant for leather jackets and fruity body lotions. She looked down at the garish orange and white stripes on her shirt. Yep, somehow she had been pushed off the fashion train and had landed in Uglyville, USA. She sighed, it was fitting really, everything else was going to hell, and it was only a matter of time before she would fall apart completely.
Wincing, Buffy placed her hat back on her head and surveyed the restaurant wearily. There was one family with a screaming child who kept throwing French fries on the floor that she would have to clean up after later and an older gentleman who had been nursing one cup of coffee for the past two hours. It looked like Saturday’s afternoon shift was going to drag on more than usual.
Finally, at 4:00, she caught sight of Sophie coming in to relieve her for the night shift and with a slight bounce in her step, Buffy headed back to the office to clock out. She was released from the tiny prison of vegetable-based, meat-like products for another day. Free Buffy! Not to be confused with “Free Willy” as she had fewer fins and would never choose Michael Jackson to sing her theme song, unless it could be like “Thriller.”
As she quickly changed out of her uniform, her mind began to function again which was of the good because she was convinced that the infrared rays from the bun warmer were going to make her brain dead. But, unfortunately, she was reminded that there were errands to run and bills to pay, then later demons to slay and also certain demons to avoid. All at once, her temporary good mood faded as she prepped herself for the hours ahead.
Buffy gathered her stuff together and as she headed out the door and into the parking lot, she saw Tara walking towards her with a big smile. Buffy found herself smiling back. She and Tara had become really close friends in the last couple of weeks, ever since she’d told Tara about Spike. Honestly, Buffy didn’t know what she would do without her.
In a world of difficult choices and demands, Tara was suddenly her comfort and Buffy was depending on her more and more. She couldn’t believe that she had never taken the time to realize Tara’s gift of turning problems into solutions. Suddenly, when seen through Tara’s vision, things seemed possible. It was surprising in a way how much Tara had impacted her. She always knew that Tara was loving and giving, anyone could see that. But, Buffy never imagined what it would feel like to have all that energy focused on her. Plus, Tara had a playfulness that she’d never seen before and Buffy found herself laughing often at Tara’s subtle humor. Actually, she was spending so much time with Tara that she’d felt kind of disloyal to Willow. She knew how hard Willow was trying to resist magic and also how much she missed Tara. But, Buffy already had so many things that she felt guilty about that she just let the feeling blend in with everything else.
When Tara reached her, she wrapped her arms around Buffy, giving her a light squeeze. Buffy immediately relaxed in the embrace as she inhaled Tara’s light scent of lavender. Tara always smelled of pretty things, Buffy thought wistfully. As they separated, Tara gave her a rueful grin, “How was your day, sweetie?”
Buffy shrugged, “You know, the usual. The Employee of the Month plaque will have my picture on it any day now, “she said sarcastically. “You?”
Tara smiled, “It was pretty good. Finals are coming up soon though so things are going to get hectic.”
“What else is new around here?” Buffy replied. She quickly glanced at her watch. “Well, I guess I should head home. My things-to-do list isn’t getting any shorter.”
“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You’ve been working too hard, you deserve a break.”
“Yeah, right,” Buffy scoffed. “I would love to, but I can’t afford a break. I mean, sometimes I feel like the world would just stop spinning if I even try to sleep. And, do I really want the whole world stoppage thing on my head? So, I just lie awake until it’s time to get up again.”
Tara lightly brushed the hair off of Buffy’s face, “All the more reason to have a little fun. You can’t keep this up forever, you know. It isn’t healthy. Sooner or later, you’re going to run out of steam. Ok?
“Listen,” Tara continued, “Xander and Anya agreed to watch Dawn tonight, Spike is going to patrol, and you and I are going somewhere special.”
The tired lines around Buffy’s eyes seemed to fade as she took it all in, “Wow, you thought of everything. This is great, I mean…but, wait a minute. What about Willow?” And, the tired lines returned. “I’ve really been neglecting her and she’s going through so much and…”
“Willow has her Spellcaster’s Anonymous meeting tonight,” Tara interrupted gently. “So, you see, there’s no reason why you can’t relax for a night.”
Buffy grinned as she realized that she’d been beat, “Ok, you’re right. Lead the way. I place myself in your capable hands.”
Tara linked her arm with Buffy’s, “That is exactly what I was hoping for,” she said with a small smile.
Pairing: Buffy/Tara
Rating: PG, for now...
Set: During Season 6
Buffy took off her Doublemeat hat briefly to run her hand through her hair. It was still weird to feel the ends brush her cheeks. At least the cloying smell of grease didn’t envelope her so much anymore now that her hair was shorter. Not that it didn’t seem to ooze out of her skin or saturate her clothes or you know, cause people to stay at least 10 feet away from her at all times, unless you counted Spike, which she didn’t. Between work, slaying, and other…uh, sweaty activities, she had never felt so disgusting in her entire life.
What had happened to her? She had always been a hip girl with a penchant for leather jackets and fruity body lotions. She looked down at the garish orange and white stripes on her shirt. Yep, somehow she had been pushed off the fashion train and had landed in Uglyville, USA. She sighed, it was fitting really, everything else was going to hell, and it was only a matter of time before she would fall apart completely.
Wincing, Buffy placed her hat back on her head and surveyed the restaurant wearily. There was one family with a screaming child who kept throwing French fries on the floor that she would have to clean up after later and an older gentleman who had been nursing one cup of coffee for the past two hours. It looked like Saturday’s afternoon shift was going to drag on more than usual.
Finally, at 4:00, she caught sight of Sophie coming in to relieve her for the night shift and with a slight bounce in her step, Buffy headed back to the office to clock out. She was released from the tiny prison of vegetable-based, meat-like products for another day. Free Buffy! Not to be confused with “Free Willy” as she had fewer fins and would never choose Michael Jackson to sing her theme song, unless it could be like “Thriller.”
As she quickly changed out of her uniform, her mind began to function again which was of the good because she was convinced that the infrared rays from the bun warmer were going to make her brain dead. But, unfortunately, she was reminded that there were errands to run and bills to pay, then later demons to slay and also certain demons to avoid. All at once, her temporary good mood faded as she prepped herself for the hours ahead.
Buffy gathered her stuff together and as she headed out the door and into the parking lot, she saw Tara walking towards her with a big smile. Buffy found herself smiling back. She and Tara had become really close friends in the last couple of weeks, ever since she’d told Tara about Spike. Honestly, Buffy didn’t know what she would do without her.
In a world of difficult choices and demands, Tara was suddenly her comfort and Buffy was depending on her more and more. She couldn’t believe that she had never taken the time to realize Tara’s gift of turning problems into solutions. Suddenly, when seen through Tara’s vision, things seemed possible. It was surprising in a way how much Tara had impacted her. She always knew that Tara was loving and giving, anyone could see that. But, Buffy never imagined what it would feel like to have all that energy focused on her. Plus, Tara had a playfulness that she’d never seen before and Buffy found herself laughing often at Tara’s subtle humor. Actually, she was spending so much time with Tara that she’d felt kind of disloyal to Willow. She knew how hard Willow was trying to resist magic and also how much she missed Tara. But, Buffy already had so many things that she felt guilty about that she just let the feeling blend in with everything else.
When Tara reached her, she wrapped her arms around Buffy, giving her a light squeeze. Buffy immediately relaxed in the embrace as she inhaled Tara’s light scent of lavender. Tara always smelled of pretty things, Buffy thought wistfully. As they separated, Tara gave her a rueful grin, “How was your day, sweetie?”
Buffy shrugged, “You know, the usual. The Employee of the Month plaque will have my picture on it any day now, “she said sarcastically. “You?”
Tara smiled, “It was pretty good. Finals are coming up soon though so things are going to get hectic.”
“What else is new around here?” Buffy replied. She quickly glanced at her watch. “Well, I guess I should head home. My things-to-do list isn’t getting any shorter.”
“I’ve got a better idea. Why don’t you take the rest of the day off? You’ve been working too hard, you deserve a break.”
“Yeah, right,” Buffy scoffed. “I would love to, but I can’t afford a break. I mean, sometimes I feel like the world would just stop spinning if I even try to sleep. And, do I really want the whole world stoppage thing on my head? So, I just lie awake until it’s time to get up again.”
Tara lightly brushed the hair off of Buffy’s face, “All the more reason to have a little fun. You can’t keep this up forever, you know. It isn’t healthy. Sooner or later, you’re going to run out of steam. Ok?
“Listen,” Tara continued, “Xander and Anya agreed to watch Dawn tonight, Spike is going to patrol, and you and I are going somewhere special.”
The tired lines around Buffy’s eyes seemed to fade as she took it all in, “Wow, you thought of everything. This is great, I mean…but, wait a minute. What about Willow?” And, the tired lines returned. “I’ve really been neglecting her and she’s going through so much and…”
“Willow has her Spellcaster’s Anonymous meeting tonight,” Tara interrupted gently. “So, you see, there’s no reason why you can’t relax for a night.”
Buffy grinned as she realized that she’d been beat, “Ok, you’re right. Lead the way. I place myself in your capable hands.”
Tara linked her arm with Buffy’s, “That is exactly what I was hoping for,” she said with a small smile.