Fixing Things
Here's a timestamp ficlet (actually kind of short this time!) written for lavastar, who requested something the day after The Amazing Adventures of Buffillow and Rupert Spikles.
Enjoy, dear lady!
Fixing Things
Riley took a deep breath, and practised once more: “Buffy. Uh… Hi Buffy! How are you today? That’s great! So, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic… no, that’s too direct. Um… Don’t you just love a picnic? Well, it looks like it’s going to be nice and sunny this weekend, so… and just wing it from there. Yep. That’ll work.”
He nodded approvingly to himself, and picked up the phone.
Two rings, and someone answered. “Hello?”
It was a guy. Oh no.
“Oh… hi. Is this… um… is this Buffy and Willow’s room?”
“Well o’ course it is, you daft - uh… yeah. This is th’ right room. I’m… uh… Willow’s friend. From history class? Yeah. That’s me.”
“Well, this is Riley. I was wanting to speak to Buffy, if she’s there.”
“Uh… okay. Yeah. I’ll jus’… go an’ check.”
Riley heard a clunk as the phone got put down on something, and then a whispered conversation: “Hey Red! It’s bloody Finn on the phone - an’ he wants…”
…and then it got too hard to tell what they were saying.
Riley waited, nervously.
The phone was picked up again.
“Uh, hi.”
“Buffy?”
“Yep! That’s me.”
“Well… how are you today?”
“I’m good, thanks, Riley. Is that all you…”
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted - um, actually… don’t you just… uh… feel like going on… um…”
He was doing it again. Riley banged his head against the wall, defeatedly.
“…Riley?”
“Picnic!”
“Huh?”
Deep breath. “Want to go on a picnic with me?”
“Um, sure.”
“We can… arrange the details later…”
“Okay. Uh… Bye, then.”
“Bye.” Riley hung up, paused for a moment to take it all in, and then did a victory dance around his bedroom.
* * * * *
Xander put down the phone and sighed. “You know,” he said, “this really is starting to get kinda wiggy. Any chance you can fix it soon, Will?”
Willow looked up from the book she was flipping through. “Xander, as we have already discussed, the current permutation is not my fault. If Anya had simply been able to find the correct ingredients at the magic shop, we would already be back to normal. If you want to blame someone, blame her.”
“I’m not. Really - no blame here,” Xander said. “I’m just saying… it’d be kinda nice if you could get all fixy.”
“Too bloody right. I sound like a complete wanker.”
“Exactly.”
Willow nodded, and kept flipping pages. “Well, I shall certainly try. What did Riley say?”
“Oh, right.” Xander turned to Buffy, who was lying on her bed, looking glum. “He wanted to ask you out again, Buffy. He’s going to call you about it later.”
“Brilliant.” She looked over. “Red, this voice is getting bloody annoying, and if it manages to bollocks up my next date with Riley, I’m going to tear your damn-” She stopped, and wrinkled her forehead. “Y’know, I wasn’t meaning to be threatening there. Th’ buggerin’ words just keep changing themselves.” She sighed. “Just fix it, will you?”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Thanks, love.” Buffy rolled her eyes, and decided that, for the moment, staying quiet would probably weird her out less.
Enjoy, dear lady!
Fixing Things
Riley took a deep breath, and practised once more: “Buffy. Uh… Hi Buffy! How are you today? That’s great! So, I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic… no, that’s too direct. Um… Don’t you just love a picnic? Well, it looks like it’s going to be nice and sunny this weekend, so… and just wing it from there. Yep. That’ll work.”
He nodded approvingly to himself, and picked up the phone.
Two rings, and someone answered. “Hello?”
It was a guy. Oh no.
“Oh… hi. Is this… um… is this Buffy and Willow’s room?”
“Well o’ course it is, you daft - uh… yeah. This is th’ right room. I’m… uh… Willow’s friend. From history class? Yeah. That’s me.”
“Well, this is Riley. I was wanting to speak to Buffy, if she’s there.”
“Uh… okay. Yeah. I’ll jus’… go an’ check.”
Riley heard a clunk as the phone got put down on something, and then a whispered conversation: “Hey Red! It’s bloody Finn on the phone - an’ he wants…”
…and then it got too hard to tell what they were saying.
Riley waited, nervously.
The phone was picked up again.
“Uh, hi.”
“Buffy?”
“Yep! That’s me.”
“Well… how are you today?”
“I’m good, thanks, Riley. Is that all you…”
“Well, I was wondering if you wanted - um, actually… don’t you just… uh… feel like going on… um…”
He was doing it again. Riley banged his head against the wall, defeatedly.
“…Riley?”
“Picnic!”
“Huh?”
Deep breath. “Want to go on a picnic with me?”
“Um, sure.”
“We can… arrange the details later…”
“Okay. Uh… Bye, then.”
“Bye.” Riley hung up, paused for a moment to take it all in, and then did a victory dance around his bedroom.
* * * * *
Xander put down the phone and sighed. “You know,” he said, “this really is starting to get kinda wiggy. Any chance you can fix it soon, Will?”
Willow looked up from the book she was flipping through. “Xander, as we have already discussed, the current permutation is not my fault. If Anya had simply been able to find the correct ingredients at the magic shop, we would already be back to normal. If you want to blame someone, blame her.”
“I’m not. Really - no blame here,” Xander said. “I’m just saying… it’d be kinda nice if you could get all fixy.”
“Too bloody right. I sound like a complete wanker.”
“Exactly.”
Willow nodded, and kept flipping pages. “Well, I shall certainly try. What did Riley say?”
“Oh, right.” Xander turned to Buffy, who was lying on her bed, looking glum. “He wanted to ask you out again, Buffy. He’s going to call you about it later.”
“Brilliant.” She looked over. “Red, this voice is getting bloody annoying, and if it manages to bollocks up my next date with Riley, I’m going to tear your damn-” She stopped, and wrinkled her forehead. “Y’know, I wasn’t meaning to be threatening there. Th’ buggerin’ words just keep changing themselves.” She sighed. “Just fix it, will you?”
“I’m doing my best.”
“Thanks, love.” Buffy rolled her eyes, and decided that, for the moment, staying quiet would probably weird her out less.