(no subject)
The first scene of this is possibly the fluffiest thing I've ever written. Just, y'know. As a warning. A sort of follow-up to the last thing I wrote. Because I could.
"No matter how many times I see you in a tie it never stops being scary," comments Buffy.
Kon glances over at her from where he's fumbling with it. "Not my fault the newspaper has a dress code."
"I have a dress code," she replies, tying the tie for him because it's only funny so long. "It's just not scary."
"It's a little scary."
"You're just jealous I have a day off and you don't."
"That too. Going to Sunnydale?"
"Gotta check on the Slayerettes, yeah. And Giles. Think Bart's gonna take me over soon."
"Is he here yet?" he asks.
"Yeah. He and Tana were playing Mario Kart."
"So they're occupied?"
"Ye--" and then he kisses her. "Hey."
"Hey. Don't let anything bad eat you, okay."
"I never do. I'll be back tomorrow, anyway."
He wraps his arms around her tightly. "I know."
"It's--I have to. I wanna stay with you guys all the time too."
He settles for taking her hand and squeezing it as they head downstairs.
"Mommy, Uncle Bart's cheating," says Tana as soon as they get into the living room.
"I still can't believe I'm mommy," Buffy whispers to Kon.
"You gave birth," he replies.
"How is Bart cheating?" Buffy asks, leaning on the back of the sofa to watch.
"He's winning," pouts Tana.
"That doesn't mean cheating," objects Bart. "Besides when I let you win you got madder..."
"Distracted you," says Tana smugly as her baby carriage pulls into the lead.
"Now who's cheating?" Bart asks, but he's got his tongue in the side of his mouth from concentrating and he looks happy for the competition.
"Daddy says it's knowing my opponent."
Buffy looks at Kon, who looks a little shifty.
Bart makes a dismissive noise. "I always beat Kon."
"Yeah, but so do I, and that's definitely because I exploit his weaknesses," comments Buffy.
"Everyone beats daddy," scoffs Tana.
"Thanks, sweetie," says Kon.
Tana's just finished beating Bart and climbs a little up the back of the sofa to kiss him on the cheek. "It's okay, daddy."
Bart snickers. "You learned that one from your mom."
Tana grins. Kon kisses the top of her head.
Buffy smiles fondly. "I gotta get going. Uncle Bart's gonna look after you til daddy gets home from work, okay?"
"Okay! And you're gonna be home tomorrow, right, mommy?"
"I'll be home tomorrow, yeah."
Kon kisses her quickly and settles down on the couch next to Tana, who ditches Mario Kart to climb into his lap. "Be careful, mommy," she says, before abandoning talking to investigate Kon's glasses.
"I will."
"Hello, Buffy," says Giles, not even blinking when she appears in the room with Bart. It took him a couple years to get used to it, but by now he's seen weirder. "Hello, Impulse."
"Hey!" says Bart. "Gotta go, bye!"
"He's taking care of Tana today," explains Buffy.
"I am sorry for having to take your off days like this," says Giles, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
"It's okay. Slayers don't get off days. What's up? You look like you've been getting a lot of not-sleep."
"Yes, there are some...worrying portents, recently. Something quite powerful is on the horizon."
Buffy slumps down in a chair. "Think we can handle it?"
Giles is silent for a long moment. "I've been thinking perhaps it would be best if you didn't."
"Giles, what--"
"There have not been many Slayers who have lived long enough to have children, Buffy. Spike killed the other. And with the other Slayers here, I think..." he rubs the bridge of his nose. "I would prefer if you could move on, escape from this life."
"I can't...I mean, I'm gonna be in danger there, too."
"Yes, but I would much rather minimize that danger. And Faith and the others prevented countless mishaps while you were pregnant. Buffy--you have a chance no Slayer has ever had, and have allowed others to have that same chance. I think you deserve to be with your family."
"I'd..." she pauses. "I'd really like that."
"And I'm sure you'll find more than enough villains to fight there. And I'm always happy to have you visit, but perhaps we could say you have retired from active duty."
"I'll still visit, yeah. But no more patrol and stuff?"
"No. I rather think being able to take care of your daughter is more important."
"Yeah, I...thanks, Giles."
"I never thought I should have a Slayer whom I could retire. One comes into this job expecting to have to bury her."
Buffy smiles. "You have to come visit. Tana misses you."
"Does she?" he asks, looking flattered. "She is quite a child."
"She is. She says she's gonna be the next Superman. Take that, gender bias."
Giles smiles warmly. "I don't believe I've told you how happy I am for you, Buffy."
"Yeah, you have. But I don't mind hearing it again."
She calls Bart to get her again after Kon gets back from work, and Kon blinks when she appears in the kitchen.
"Giles retired me," she explains, kissing him on the cheek.
Kon takes a minute to process this before picking her up, spinning her in the air, and kissing her.
She settles against him, closing her eyes, and when she wakes up, she's staring at his pajamas. The sun's just starting to come in through the window, and she glances up to see Kon looking at her.
"Bad dream?" he asks.
"Huh?"
He smiles gently at her and wipes one of her eyes. "You're crying."
"Oh. That. It's nothing," she says, smiling. "Just, y'know, you wake up, your eyes water. Perfectly totally normal. I'm fine."
"Good."
"Now that you're doing it," she says after a minute, "is growing up scary?"
"Scary?"
"You know me and the future don't get along."
"I'm doing pretty well so far," he says. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Just thinking about prophetic dreams again."
"Hoping you aren't having them again?" he asks, pulling her close.
"Depending on the dream," she says quietly.
He doesn't ask. She loves him for that.
"No matter how many times I see you in a tie it never stops being scary," comments Buffy.
Kon glances over at her from where he's fumbling with it. "Not my fault the newspaper has a dress code."
"I have a dress code," she replies, tying the tie for him because it's only funny so long. "It's just not scary."
"It's a little scary."
"You're just jealous I have a day off and you don't."
"That too. Going to Sunnydale?"
"Gotta check on the Slayerettes, yeah. And Giles. Think Bart's gonna take me over soon."
"Is he here yet?" he asks.
"Yeah. He and Tana were playing Mario Kart."
"So they're occupied?"
"Ye--" and then he kisses her. "Hey."
"Hey. Don't let anything bad eat you, okay."
"I never do. I'll be back tomorrow, anyway."
He wraps his arms around her tightly. "I know."
"It's--I have to. I wanna stay with you guys all the time too."
He settles for taking her hand and squeezing it as they head downstairs.
"Mommy, Uncle Bart's cheating," says Tana as soon as they get into the living room.
"I still can't believe I'm mommy," Buffy whispers to Kon.
"You gave birth," he replies.
"How is Bart cheating?" Buffy asks, leaning on the back of the sofa to watch.
"He's winning," pouts Tana.
"That doesn't mean cheating," objects Bart. "Besides when I let you win you got madder..."
"Distracted you," says Tana smugly as her baby carriage pulls into the lead.
"Now who's cheating?" Bart asks, but he's got his tongue in the side of his mouth from concentrating and he looks happy for the competition.
"Daddy says it's knowing my opponent."
Buffy looks at Kon, who looks a little shifty.
Bart makes a dismissive noise. "I always beat Kon."
"Yeah, but so do I, and that's definitely because I exploit his weaknesses," comments Buffy.
"Everyone beats daddy," scoffs Tana.
"Thanks, sweetie," says Kon.
Tana's just finished beating Bart and climbs a little up the back of the sofa to kiss him on the cheek. "It's okay, daddy."
Bart snickers. "You learned that one from your mom."
Tana grins. Kon kisses the top of her head.
Buffy smiles fondly. "I gotta get going. Uncle Bart's gonna look after you til daddy gets home from work, okay?"
"Okay! And you're gonna be home tomorrow, right, mommy?"
"I'll be home tomorrow, yeah."
Kon kisses her quickly and settles down on the couch next to Tana, who ditches Mario Kart to climb into his lap. "Be careful, mommy," she says, before abandoning talking to investigate Kon's glasses.
"I will."
"Hello, Buffy," says Giles, not even blinking when she appears in the room with Bart. It took him a couple years to get used to it, but by now he's seen weirder. "Hello, Impulse."
"Hey!" says Bart. "Gotta go, bye!"
"He's taking care of Tana today," explains Buffy.
"I am sorry for having to take your off days like this," says Giles, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes.
"It's okay. Slayers don't get off days. What's up? You look like you've been getting a lot of not-sleep."
"Yes, there are some...worrying portents, recently. Something quite powerful is on the horizon."
Buffy slumps down in a chair. "Think we can handle it?"
Giles is silent for a long moment. "I've been thinking perhaps it would be best if you didn't."
"Giles, what--"
"There have not been many Slayers who have lived long enough to have children, Buffy. Spike killed the other. And with the other Slayers here, I think..." he rubs the bridge of his nose. "I would prefer if you could move on, escape from this life."
"I can't...I mean, I'm gonna be in danger there, too."
"Yes, but I would much rather minimize that danger. And Faith and the others prevented countless mishaps while you were pregnant. Buffy--you have a chance no Slayer has ever had, and have allowed others to have that same chance. I think you deserve to be with your family."
"I'd..." she pauses. "I'd really like that."
"And I'm sure you'll find more than enough villains to fight there. And I'm always happy to have you visit, but perhaps we could say you have retired from active duty."
"I'll still visit, yeah. But no more patrol and stuff?"
"No. I rather think being able to take care of your daughter is more important."
"Yeah, I...thanks, Giles."
"I never thought I should have a Slayer whom I could retire. One comes into this job expecting to have to bury her."
Buffy smiles. "You have to come visit. Tana misses you."
"Does she?" he asks, looking flattered. "She is quite a child."
"She is. She says she's gonna be the next Superman. Take that, gender bias."
Giles smiles warmly. "I don't believe I've told you how happy I am for you, Buffy."
"Yeah, you have. But I don't mind hearing it again."
She calls Bart to get her again after Kon gets back from work, and Kon blinks when she appears in the kitchen.
"Giles retired me," she explains, kissing him on the cheek.
Kon takes a minute to process this before picking her up, spinning her in the air, and kissing her.
She settles against him, closing her eyes, and when she wakes up, she's staring at his pajamas. The sun's just starting to come in through the window, and she glances up to see Kon looking at her.
"Bad dream?" he asks.
"Huh?"
He smiles gently at her and wipes one of her eyes. "You're crying."
"Oh. That. It's nothing," she says, smiling. "Just, y'know, you wake up, your eyes water. Perfectly totally normal. I'm fine."
"Good."
"Now that you're doing it," she says after a minute, "is growing up scary?"
"Scary?"
"You know me and the future don't get along."
"I'm doing pretty well so far," he says. "You sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, fine. Just thinking about prophetic dreams again."
"Hoping you aren't having them again?" he asks, pulling her close.
"Depending on the dream," she says quietly.
He doesn't ask. She loves him for that.