(no subject)
Fic! Future fic, Kon/Buffy, with cameos by Rikuou, Bart, and Kazahaya.
The alarm goes off and Kon isn't there.
Buffy is a little surprised by this, but it's not really concern. He's probably in the kitchen or the bathroom or something. Yeah, it's weird for anything to rouse him from his night coma before she makes coffee, but it happens.
Except he isn't in the kitchen or the bathroom, or in Tana and Wendy's room.
It's seven in the morning, and Kon isn't asleep.
"Where's dad?" asks Tana. She's six, but scarily articulate. Wendy, who's four, is next to her, looking confused and waiting for Tana to pour her a bowl of cereal.
Buffy scans the kitchen past Tana and notices a note on the refrigerator. She gives Tana a smile that she hopes seems reassuring and checks the note.
Buffy, Tana, Wendy,
Out for the day. Will be home before mommy's bedtime.
Love,
Dad
Buffy's throat catches--it still kind of boggles her mind that he can just sign "Dad" like that, that he's so easy with it. "He's gonna be home tonight," says Buffy, past the lump in her throat. Where the hell was he?
"Mommy's worried," Wendy whispers to Tana, too loudly.
"Shh, Wendy."
"It's fine," says Buffy steadily. "Let's get this breakfast thing going. You guys have to get to school."
"It's my last day!" says Wendy proudly. "For vey...vey...Christmas!"
"Vacation," says Tana.
"Vey-kee-shun," Wendy sounds out.
"Yes."
Buffy ruffles Wendy's hair. "What do you want Santa to get you this year?"
"Santa is a cultural construct created by a society and an economy dependent on marketing in the place of real feelings," says Tana.
"A pony!" says Wendy.
"That's my girls," says Buffy fondly.
It's Friday, which is theoretically date night, except Kon isn't home. But Bart still picks the kids up from school and takes them for most of the night, which leaves Buffy with an intimidating stretch of alone time.
It's weird--she thinks she should appreciate alone time, because she almost never gets it. She's been married for more than twelve years, more or less (it gets confusing with camp time and real time), had children for six, but she doesn't really miss being just on her own.
"Alone" in Buffy's current vocabulary actually means "with Kon."
She tried not to be mad at him all through work. She tried so hard not to be mad at him that she broke five pencils and terrified the secretary when the tip of one of them landed on her desk. She knows it's irrational to be pissed off on some level, but the least he could do was wake her up.
It's about dinner time, and Buffy is fed up. The girls will be gone for a few more hours, so she decides to visit Rikuou.
Rikuou lives in Tokyo in another world, but that's what Kon's window is for. She had worried at first that it would just be able to go between her world and his, but it turned out that if you focused on a person, it would bring you to near them. Buffy focuses on the place Rikuou works, usually, because she likes to call ahead before she actually goes to his and Kazahaya's apartment. One time she walked in on them, and it had been...awkward, to say the least.
So now she calls with the cheap cellphone Rikuou bought her.
It's weird, because she doesn't really speak Japanese, and he doesn't really speak English, but camp's translator somehow never left them. She can't understand a work Kazahaya says anymore, but Rikuou it's loud and clear, even if his lips don't move the same way his words come out. Talking to him is like watching a badly dubbed kung fu movie. But she's used to it.
He picks up on the second ring. "Hey, Buffy."
"Hey, you busy?"
"No, what's up?"
"I was thinking I'd get dinner," she says, too casually.
"Let's go out," he replies immediately. "You're downstairs?"
"Yeah."
"I'll see you in a minute."
Rikuou doesn't ask her questions until they're settled into a restaurant he likes, and he's ordered for both of them. And then all he says is, "Where's Kon?"
"I don't know," she admits.
He looks surprised. "You always know."
"He left before I got up. And left a note."
"What did the note say?" he asks, sipping his water and keeping his voice neutral.
"That he's out and'll be back before I go to bed."
"Has he ever done that before?"
"Nope, it's a first."
"He left a note," Rikuou points out. "So he's okay."
"He's a bastard," Buffy says. "Why wouldn't he just tell me what's up?"
"Christmas is coming," says Rikuou. "Maybe he's getting you something special."
"That's what Wendy thought," she says. "She was thinking Egypt."
"Kon went to Egypt to get you a Christmas present?"
"It's a theory."
Rikuou puts his hand on hers. "You can yell at him when he gets back," he says, because that's how they comfort each other.
Buffy smiles. "Oh, I'm planning to."
Bart drops Tana and Wendy off at ten. Wendy is already asleep, and Tana is getting there.
"'s dad home?" asks Tana blearily.
"Soon," says Buffy, pretending it's true. She carries the girls into bed, and when she gets back Bart's still there. The air around him twitches as he stands--he's trying to decide what to do.
"Hug?" he finally says.
"Sure," she says, and lets him. "You know where he is?"
He fidgets a little more. "Not really. I know he's okay, and he'd be really sad if he knew you were worrying..."
She ruffles his hair, because even now he still likes it. "Don't worry about it. I'll just yell at him til I feel better."
Bart squeezes her once more before he's gone.
The apartment seems too large somehow, and Buffy switches on all the lights in the kitchen. She can hear Tana tossing a little in bed and goes to tuck her in.
"Are you and dad going to get a divorce?" Tana asks, sounding wide awake when Buffy comes in.
Buffy's speechless for a full minute until she realizes that a long pause isn't really the way to reassure her daughter. She sits down on Tana's bed and hugs her. "Not in a million years."
"But you're mad."
"Yeah. You can be mad at someone and still want to be married to them. Trust me. This isn't the worst thing your dad could do. And it never crossed my mind to leave him."
"Okay," says Tana. "Good. Because I like dad."
"Yeah," says Buffy. "Me too."
Tana disentangles herself from the hug.
"Want me to read to you?" Buffy asks.
"No," says Tana. "I'm sleepy."
"Okay." She tucks her daughter in and kisses her on the forehead.
Kon's leaning against the wall next to the bedroom when she gets out, looking guilty, but not guilty enough.
"B--" he starts, but she gets him by the ear and drags him outside and downstairs.
"Okay," she says, when they're both out on the street even though it's late and she isn't wearing shoes or a jacket. "Explain."
She can see him swallow, even in the dark. "I'm sorry."
"That's not explaining."
"Buffy--"
"Still not explaining."
"I left a note!"
"No shit! It was like the worst note ever!"
"I'm sorry!"
She realizes even taking into account that they're three stories down and outside, they're getting a little loud. And she's shivering.
"Buffy..."
"Where were you," she says.
"I...can't tell you," says Kon.
Buffy doesn't say anything.
"Buffy..."
"What."
Kon considers, and then says the one thing that she can't really argue with. "Trust me. Please."
She pretends she's going to not for about a second. Then she sighs. "Are you going to do it again?"
He looks down. "Maybe."
"Are you going to wake me up and tell me you're leaving first and not just leave a fucking note?"
"I can do that."
"I was really worried. How worried would you be if you woke up and I just left the vaguest note in the world?"
"Really worried."
"Yeah."
"You're shivering," he says, pulling off his coat and putting in on her shoulders. He leaves his hands on her shoulders, a test to see if she'll let him. When she doesn't move, he wraps his arms around her and rests his head against hers. "I'm really sorry, Buffy," he says, quietly.
Her feet are cold. "Are you going to tell me?"
"When I can," he says.
"If this is just for some stupid Christmas present," she says, "I'm going to punch you in the face."
"Don't worry," says Kon, picking her up.
"What--"
He kisses her, which is unfair. "Hi," he says, with the kind of smile that says he knows she's still mad, but he missed her. It's goofy and a little crooked and a lot hopeful.
It's cheating. "Hey."
"You really should have put on shoes."
"Shut up."
He looks around and flies up as quickly as he can.
"We have stairs," she comments.
"It's cold," he says, opening the window and helping her through. "I'm sorry," he says again.
"Stop saying that," she says. "You're not telling me anything, so...stop trying to make it better."
Kon actually winces and she feels a little bad. She sighs.
"Is everything okay?" she asks, finally. "Like, you're not hurt or in debt to the mafia or something stupid like that."
"Everything's fine," he says. "I promise I'll explain later."
She nods. "Okay. I trust you."
He looks relieved beyond words to hear that, and hugs her again. He smells like somewhere far away, but also like Kon. "I'm not going anywhere tomorrow," he says.
"Okay," she says again. She's not sure what else to say.
"Bed?" he suggests. It's the first time in years he hasn't said it with a leer.
"Yeah."
Kon picks Tana up on the shoulders the next day and takes her to the living room to reassure her that no one is getting divorced ever, no matter how stupid he is. It doesn't seem to have occurred to Wendy that divorce could be an option, which is good, because it never really could be, as far as Buffy's concerned.
"Where did daddy go?" asks Wendy as Buffy gets her lunch.
"Somewhere secret and important," says Buffy.
"Christmas secret?" says Wendy excitedly.
That's kids. "Maybe."
"When are Grandma and Uncle Giles coming?" asks Wendy excitedly. She didn't remember Giles or Buffy's mom very well, but she was always excited by the prospect.
"Not for a little while. You get off school way before real Christmas."
"Umm..." Wendy looks dubious and counts with her fingers. "Five days!"
"Right. Mom's got work, though, so they're coming Tuesday."
Wendy nods. "And they got presents."
"And they're family."
"With presents."
Buffy sighs. Kon comes back in with Tana and kisses Buffy on the temple. "Presents?"
"Grandma and Uncle Giles!" says Wendy happily.
"When are they coming?" asks Tana.
"Tuesday."
Tana nods. "And daddy's not going anywhere."
Kon clears his throat. "Probably."
Three pairs of eyes turn to give him a Look.
Kon wilts. The problem with being a superhero in a house full of women, Buffy thinks, is that girls are still Kon's biggest weakness.
He disappears on Monday again, but he wakes her up. He says he'll be back on Tuesday, and she's a little peeved.
"That's when mom's coming."
"I know."
"Are you gonna be here for that?"
"I hope so."
"Kon..."
"Trust me," he says again, and kisses her.
She sighs. "This better be good."
Kon gives her a weird look. "I hope so."
At least, she had to admit, it was a good opportunity to get her last-minute shopping for him in. They'd gotten the girls covered a while ago, but she'd been wanting to get Kon some nice pots and pans for his growing cooking obsession, and it was hard to smuggle those past him. If she'd been thinking clearly on Friday, she could have done it then, but she wasn't.
"Dad's really coming back tomorrow?" asks Tana as they stroll through the store.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because he has important stuff to do."
"What stuff?" asks Wendy.
"Stuff," says Buffy.
"She doesn't know," Tana whispers to Wendy.
"I can hear you," Buffy points out.
"Will Uncle Giles bring weapons?" asks Tana, changing the subject quickly.
"I doubt it."
"Are Uncle Rikuou and Uncle Kazahaya coming?"
"Just on Christmas."
"Do they speak English yet?"
"A little."
"I learned some Japanese!" says Tana proudly.
"Good work," says Buffy, smiling.
It's going to be a good Christmas, she assures herself. And she's not going to strangle her husband. It'll be great.
Buffy picks up Joyce and Giles at around noon, and Tana and Wendy hover anxiously to see if they can see the gifts they're bringing.
"Hello, girls," says Joyce, hugging her grand daughters. "You're both getting so big!"
"Wendy's going through a particularly strong growth period," says Tana.
"Mommy, Tana's making fun of me!"
"No I'm not! It's scientifically accurate!"
"Hello, Tana, Wendy," says Giles, trying to defuse the situation. Buffy smiles. And then she feels a tap on her shoulder.
Kon's there.
"Thought we were gonna miss you."
"We?"
"I really hope this doesn't count as stupid," Kon says. And he moves.
It's her dad.
Buffy blinks. She's having a little trouble breathing.
She hasn't seen her dad in about seven years. He'd been out of the country when she got back from camp, and she had been so annoyed that she hadn't called him for a while. They'd had a minor falling out when he found out she was married, and it had become a major falling out when she permanently moved to another dimension without explaining anything about her life to him.
"I figured he'd want to meet the kids," says Kon quietly.
"I didn't know I had granddaughters," her dad says, just as softly.
Buffy still can't really breathe. "Does mom know?" she manages.
"Yeah," says Kon. "I checked with her first."
"Oh," says Buffy.
"Is that a good oh?" her dad asks.
She manages a nod and then hugs him. By the time she's finished, Kon has gone, because sometimes Kon knows exactly what to do.
"Hi dad," she says, a little tearily.
It's hard to stay mad at Kon, because she always ends up curled up next to him, with her hand in his, and her family around her, and it's hard to argue with that.
The alarm goes off and Kon isn't there.
Buffy is a little surprised by this, but it's not really concern. He's probably in the kitchen or the bathroom or something. Yeah, it's weird for anything to rouse him from his night coma before she makes coffee, but it happens.
Except he isn't in the kitchen or the bathroom, or in Tana and Wendy's room.
It's seven in the morning, and Kon isn't asleep.
"Where's dad?" asks Tana. She's six, but scarily articulate. Wendy, who's four, is next to her, looking confused and waiting for Tana to pour her a bowl of cereal.
Buffy scans the kitchen past Tana and notices a note on the refrigerator. She gives Tana a smile that she hopes seems reassuring and checks the note.
Buffy, Tana, Wendy,
Out for the day. Will be home before mommy's bedtime.
Love,
Dad
Buffy's throat catches--it still kind of boggles her mind that he can just sign "Dad" like that, that he's so easy with it. "He's gonna be home tonight," says Buffy, past the lump in her throat. Where the hell was he?
"Mommy's worried," Wendy whispers to Tana, too loudly.
"Shh, Wendy."
"It's fine," says Buffy steadily. "Let's get this breakfast thing going. You guys have to get to school."
"It's my last day!" says Wendy proudly. "For vey...vey...Christmas!"
"Vacation," says Tana.
"Vey-kee-shun," Wendy sounds out.
"Yes."
Buffy ruffles Wendy's hair. "What do you want Santa to get you this year?"
"Santa is a cultural construct created by a society and an economy dependent on marketing in the place of real feelings," says Tana.
"A pony!" says Wendy.
"That's my girls," says Buffy fondly.
It's Friday, which is theoretically date night, except Kon isn't home. But Bart still picks the kids up from school and takes them for most of the night, which leaves Buffy with an intimidating stretch of alone time.
It's weird--she thinks she should appreciate alone time, because she almost never gets it. She's been married for more than twelve years, more or less (it gets confusing with camp time and real time), had children for six, but she doesn't really miss being just on her own.
"Alone" in Buffy's current vocabulary actually means "with Kon."
She tried not to be mad at him all through work. She tried so hard not to be mad at him that she broke five pencils and terrified the secretary when the tip of one of them landed on her desk. She knows it's irrational to be pissed off on some level, but the least he could do was wake her up.
It's about dinner time, and Buffy is fed up. The girls will be gone for a few more hours, so she decides to visit Rikuou.
Rikuou lives in Tokyo in another world, but that's what Kon's window is for. She had worried at first that it would just be able to go between her world and his, but it turned out that if you focused on a person, it would bring you to near them. Buffy focuses on the place Rikuou works, usually, because she likes to call ahead before she actually goes to his and Kazahaya's apartment. One time she walked in on them, and it had been...awkward, to say the least.
So now she calls with the cheap cellphone Rikuou bought her.
It's weird, because she doesn't really speak Japanese, and he doesn't really speak English, but camp's translator somehow never left them. She can't understand a work Kazahaya says anymore, but Rikuou it's loud and clear, even if his lips don't move the same way his words come out. Talking to him is like watching a badly dubbed kung fu movie. But she's used to it.
He picks up on the second ring. "Hey, Buffy."
"Hey, you busy?"
"No, what's up?"
"I was thinking I'd get dinner," she says, too casually.
"Let's go out," he replies immediately. "You're downstairs?"
"Yeah."
"I'll see you in a minute."
Rikuou doesn't ask her questions until they're settled into a restaurant he likes, and he's ordered for both of them. And then all he says is, "Where's Kon?"
"I don't know," she admits.
He looks surprised. "You always know."
"He left before I got up. And left a note."
"What did the note say?" he asks, sipping his water and keeping his voice neutral.
"That he's out and'll be back before I go to bed."
"Has he ever done that before?"
"Nope, it's a first."
"He left a note," Rikuou points out. "So he's okay."
"He's a bastard," Buffy says. "Why wouldn't he just tell me what's up?"
"Christmas is coming," says Rikuou. "Maybe he's getting you something special."
"That's what Wendy thought," she says. "She was thinking Egypt."
"Kon went to Egypt to get you a Christmas present?"
"It's a theory."
Rikuou puts his hand on hers. "You can yell at him when he gets back," he says, because that's how they comfort each other.
Buffy smiles. "Oh, I'm planning to."
Bart drops Tana and Wendy off at ten. Wendy is already asleep, and Tana is getting there.
"'s dad home?" asks Tana blearily.
"Soon," says Buffy, pretending it's true. She carries the girls into bed, and when she gets back Bart's still there. The air around him twitches as he stands--he's trying to decide what to do.
"Hug?" he finally says.
"Sure," she says, and lets him. "You know where he is?"
He fidgets a little more. "Not really. I know he's okay, and he'd be really sad if he knew you were worrying..."
She ruffles his hair, because even now he still likes it. "Don't worry about it. I'll just yell at him til I feel better."
Bart squeezes her once more before he's gone.
The apartment seems too large somehow, and Buffy switches on all the lights in the kitchen. She can hear Tana tossing a little in bed and goes to tuck her in.
"Are you and dad going to get a divorce?" Tana asks, sounding wide awake when Buffy comes in.
Buffy's speechless for a full minute until she realizes that a long pause isn't really the way to reassure her daughter. She sits down on Tana's bed and hugs her. "Not in a million years."
"But you're mad."
"Yeah. You can be mad at someone and still want to be married to them. Trust me. This isn't the worst thing your dad could do. And it never crossed my mind to leave him."
"Okay," says Tana. "Good. Because I like dad."
"Yeah," says Buffy. "Me too."
Tana disentangles herself from the hug.
"Want me to read to you?" Buffy asks.
"No," says Tana. "I'm sleepy."
"Okay." She tucks her daughter in and kisses her on the forehead.
Kon's leaning against the wall next to the bedroom when she gets out, looking guilty, but not guilty enough.
"B--" he starts, but she gets him by the ear and drags him outside and downstairs.
"Okay," she says, when they're both out on the street even though it's late and she isn't wearing shoes or a jacket. "Explain."
She can see him swallow, even in the dark. "I'm sorry."
"That's not explaining."
"Buffy--"
"Still not explaining."
"I left a note!"
"No shit! It was like the worst note ever!"
"I'm sorry!"
She realizes even taking into account that they're three stories down and outside, they're getting a little loud. And she's shivering.
"Buffy..."
"Where were you," she says.
"I...can't tell you," says Kon.
Buffy doesn't say anything.
"Buffy..."
"What."
Kon considers, and then says the one thing that she can't really argue with. "Trust me. Please."
She pretends she's going to not for about a second. Then she sighs. "Are you going to do it again?"
He looks down. "Maybe."
"Are you going to wake me up and tell me you're leaving first and not just leave a fucking note?"
"I can do that."
"I was really worried. How worried would you be if you woke up and I just left the vaguest note in the world?"
"Really worried."
"Yeah."
"You're shivering," he says, pulling off his coat and putting in on her shoulders. He leaves his hands on her shoulders, a test to see if she'll let him. When she doesn't move, he wraps his arms around her and rests his head against hers. "I'm really sorry, Buffy," he says, quietly.
Her feet are cold. "Are you going to tell me?"
"When I can," he says.
"If this is just for some stupid Christmas present," she says, "I'm going to punch you in the face."
"Don't worry," says Kon, picking her up.
"What--"
He kisses her, which is unfair. "Hi," he says, with the kind of smile that says he knows she's still mad, but he missed her. It's goofy and a little crooked and a lot hopeful.
It's cheating. "Hey."
"You really should have put on shoes."
"Shut up."
He looks around and flies up as quickly as he can.
"We have stairs," she comments.
"It's cold," he says, opening the window and helping her through. "I'm sorry," he says again.
"Stop saying that," she says. "You're not telling me anything, so...stop trying to make it better."
Kon actually winces and she feels a little bad. She sighs.
"Is everything okay?" she asks, finally. "Like, you're not hurt or in debt to the mafia or something stupid like that."
"Everything's fine," he says. "I promise I'll explain later."
She nods. "Okay. I trust you."
He looks relieved beyond words to hear that, and hugs her again. He smells like somewhere far away, but also like Kon. "I'm not going anywhere tomorrow," he says.
"Okay," she says again. She's not sure what else to say.
"Bed?" he suggests. It's the first time in years he hasn't said it with a leer.
"Yeah."
Kon picks Tana up on the shoulders the next day and takes her to the living room to reassure her that no one is getting divorced ever, no matter how stupid he is. It doesn't seem to have occurred to Wendy that divorce could be an option, which is good, because it never really could be, as far as Buffy's concerned.
"Where did daddy go?" asks Wendy as Buffy gets her lunch.
"Somewhere secret and important," says Buffy.
"Christmas secret?" says Wendy excitedly.
That's kids. "Maybe."
"When are Grandma and Uncle Giles coming?" asks Wendy excitedly. She didn't remember Giles or Buffy's mom very well, but she was always excited by the prospect.
"Not for a little while. You get off school way before real Christmas."
"Umm..." Wendy looks dubious and counts with her fingers. "Five days!"
"Right. Mom's got work, though, so they're coming Tuesday."
Wendy nods. "And they got presents."
"And they're family."
"With presents."
Buffy sighs. Kon comes back in with Tana and kisses Buffy on the temple. "Presents?"
"Grandma and Uncle Giles!" says Wendy happily.
"When are they coming?" asks Tana.
"Tuesday."
Tana nods. "And daddy's not going anywhere."
Kon clears his throat. "Probably."
Three pairs of eyes turn to give him a Look.
Kon wilts. The problem with being a superhero in a house full of women, Buffy thinks, is that girls are still Kon's biggest weakness.
He disappears on Monday again, but he wakes her up. He says he'll be back on Tuesday, and she's a little peeved.
"That's when mom's coming."
"I know."
"Are you gonna be here for that?"
"I hope so."
"Kon..."
"Trust me," he says again, and kisses her.
She sighs. "This better be good."
Kon gives her a weird look. "I hope so."
At least, she had to admit, it was a good opportunity to get her last-minute shopping for him in. They'd gotten the girls covered a while ago, but she'd been wanting to get Kon some nice pots and pans for his growing cooking obsession, and it was hard to smuggle those past him. If she'd been thinking clearly on Friday, she could have done it then, but she wasn't.
"Dad's really coming back tomorrow?" asks Tana as they stroll through the store.
"Yeah."
"Why?"
"Because he has important stuff to do."
"What stuff?" asks Wendy.
"Stuff," says Buffy.
"She doesn't know," Tana whispers to Wendy.
"I can hear you," Buffy points out.
"Will Uncle Giles bring weapons?" asks Tana, changing the subject quickly.
"I doubt it."
"Are Uncle Rikuou and Uncle Kazahaya coming?"
"Just on Christmas."
"Do they speak English yet?"
"A little."
"I learned some Japanese!" says Tana proudly.
"Good work," says Buffy, smiling.
It's going to be a good Christmas, she assures herself. And she's not going to strangle her husband. It'll be great.
Buffy picks up Joyce and Giles at around noon, and Tana and Wendy hover anxiously to see if they can see the gifts they're bringing.
"Hello, girls," says Joyce, hugging her grand daughters. "You're both getting so big!"
"Wendy's going through a particularly strong growth period," says Tana.
"Mommy, Tana's making fun of me!"
"No I'm not! It's scientifically accurate!"
"Hello, Tana, Wendy," says Giles, trying to defuse the situation. Buffy smiles. And then she feels a tap on her shoulder.
Kon's there.
"Thought we were gonna miss you."
"We?"
"I really hope this doesn't count as stupid," Kon says. And he moves.
It's her dad.
Buffy blinks. She's having a little trouble breathing.
She hasn't seen her dad in about seven years. He'd been out of the country when she got back from camp, and she had been so annoyed that she hadn't called him for a while. They'd had a minor falling out when he found out she was married, and it had become a major falling out when she permanently moved to another dimension without explaining anything about her life to him.
"I figured he'd want to meet the kids," says Kon quietly.
"I didn't know I had granddaughters," her dad says, just as softly.
Buffy still can't really breathe. "Does mom know?" she manages.
"Yeah," says Kon. "I checked with her first."
"Oh," says Buffy.
"Is that a good oh?" her dad asks.
She manages a nod and then hugs him. By the time she's finished, Kon has gone, because sometimes Kon knows exactly what to do.
"Hi dad," she says, a little tearily.
It's hard to stay mad at Kon, because she always ends up curled up next to him, with her hand in his, and her family around her, and it's hard to argue with that.