How to Tame Your Inner Freak in Six Easy Lessons -- Gwen/Dawn
Late! Late, late fic for the Buffyverse Femslash Ficathon. neverneverfic requested Gwen/Dawn, post series. So, you know, I tried. Thanks to cadence_k for running the ficathon. And one billion dollars thanks to the ever fabulous tesla321 for helping me out of the inspirationless hole I'd dug myself into and providing key lines of dialogue.
How to Tame Your Inner Freak in Six Easy Lessons
Gwen stepped up the pace as she turned the corner, but it was no use. The kid was still on her. Gwen feigned interest in the fountain at the piazza, took advantage of a sudden surge of tourists, and disappeared into the crowd.
Three blocks later she felt the familiar tingle and glanced back to see the kid again. You kinda had to admire the sheer doggedness, though. Not to mention the way she filled out those jeans.
Gwen rolled her eyes and went into the nearest cafe. Sitting with her back to the wall and a good view of the door, she flagged down the cute waiter and pretended to peruse the menu. She was sipping an espresso by the time the kid edged in, hands stuffed in her pockets, hair long and loose and shiny, eyes nervous.
Gwen waved at her from across the room, and the kid almost rabbitted right back out again. After a long, assessing moment though, the kid just took a deep breath, squared her jean jacketed shoulders and walked over to Gwen's table.
"Well," Gwen said, quirking an eyebrow. "You've been on me like gum on a shoe for days, kid. Something I can help you with?"
"I don't... I..." the kid squirmed, tugged on a strand of hair, seemed to resist the temptation to twirl it around her finger and tucked it behind her ear instead. "The Council sent me," she blurted.
Gwen held back a smile. "Try again, kid."
The kid frowned indignantly. "They did so."
Offhand application of the Laser Eyes, and the kid crumbled like a stale cannoli.
"Okay, maybe they didn't send me. But I totally work for them!"
The Eyes again, the cannoli reaction.
"Well, my sister works for them. She, like, runs the Rome division."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Gwen said. "Buy you an ice cream if you'll tell me why you're following me around."
:::
"We have something in common," the kid said between mouthfulls of gelato. "Energy."
"Energy," Gwen mocked. "Electricity, here. Plain old electricity. I attract lightning, get things all sparky. What do you do, kid?"
"The name's Dawn," the kid said, flipping her long brown hair back from her neck. "And I don't really know what I can do yet. That's why I wanted to talk to you. Willow said--"
"Whoa. The wicca chick?" Gwen sat back, frowning. "Look, I just did that Council job as a favor for a friend. Never said I'd sign up for slayerette training."
"Lucky I'm not a slayerette, then. Or a slayer, for that matter." The kid scraped out the last of her gelato, licked the spoon and set it down with an air of finality. "I'm a freak."
:::
"Check it out," The kid said, and held her hand out, palm facing Gwen. There was a faint pull there, that felt almost like it should crackle. "I've never felt that before."
Gwen shivered a little, eyes fluttering shut as electrons danced on her skin. She opened her eyes to see the kid examining her closely. "Nice trick," Gwen said, as coolly as she could manage. "So what's it got to do with me?"
"I told you," the kid said, rolling her eyes. "I've never felt that before. It's like you're... calling something out of me, out of my skin. I was at the Council headquarters when you met with Buffy and Willow, and just feeling you walk down the hall was like you were dragging my insides out with you."
"So, what, you got a great big electrofest going on behind those baby blues?"
"Something like that. I want to learn to control it, like you do."
Gwen laughed. "I don't control a thing, kid. It controls me. You think I got some kinda handle on mastering your inner freak? I don't know squat."
"You know how to live with it," the kid said calmly. "It's a start."
"A start, huh?" Gwen reached a hand across the table, experimentally, and the kid met her halfway. They left their fingers like that, touching, almost edging into being interlaced, and there was a feel like ozone crackling at the base of Gwen's spine where the LISA sat. Nobody was getting electrocuted, though, so all in all it was looking like a pretty good day. "Dawn, right?"
The kid nodded, and her blue eyes were like some kinda funhouse mirror.
Gwen stood, tossing enough lire on the table to cover their order, plus a nice tip for the cute and surprisingly discreet waiter. "Say, you don't have a problem with thievery as a valid career choice, do you?"
Dawn's grin revealed a neat row of pearly little teeth between full, pink-glossed lips. "I think I can handle it," she said.
Out in the piazza, Gwen looked up at the small white clouds scuttling across the blue, blue Roman sky, looked back at Dawn, and smiled. "C'mon," she said, hooking an arm through Dawn's. "Let's go paint the town red."
How to Tame Your Inner Freak in Six Easy Lessons
Gwen stepped up the pace as she turned the corner, but it was no use. The kid was still on her. Gwen feigned interest in the fountain at the piazza, took advantage of a sudden surge of tourists, and disappeared into the crowd.
Three blocks later she felt the familiar tingle and glanced back to see the kid again. You kinda had to admire the sheer doggedness, though. Not to mention the way she filled out those jeans.
Gwen rolled her eyes and went into the nearest cafe. Sitting with her back to the wall and a good view of the door, she flagged down the cute waiter and pretended to peruse the menu. She was sipping an espresso by the time the kid edged in, hands stuffed in her pockets, hair long and loose and shiny, eyes nervous.
Gwen waved at her from across the room, and the kid almost rabbitted right back out again. After a long, assessing moment though, the kid just took a deep breath, squared her jean jacketed shoulders and walked over to Gwen's table.
"Well," Gwen said, quirking an eyebrow. "You've been on me like gum on a shoe for days, kid. Something I can help you with?"
"I don't... I..." the kid squirmed, tugged on a strand of hair, seemed to resist the temptation to twirl it around her finger and tucked it behind her ear instead. "The Council sent me," she blurted.
Gwen held back a smile. "Try again, kid."
The kid frowned indignantly. "They did so."
Offhand application of the Laser Eyes, and the kid crumbled like a stale cannoli.
"Okay, maybe they didn't send me. But I totally work for them!"
The Eyes again, the cannoli reaction.
"Well, my sister works for them. She, like, runs the Rome division."
"Now we're getting somewhere," Gwen said. "Buy you an ice cream if you'll tell me why you're following me around."
:::
"We have something in common," the kid said between mouthfulls of gelato. "Energy."
"Energy," Gwen mocked. "Electricity, here. Plain old electricity. I attract lightning, get things all sparky. What do you do, kid?"
"The name's Dawn," the kid said, flipping her long brown hair back from her neck. "And I don't really know what I can do yet. That's why I wanted to talk to you. Willow said--"
"Whoa. The wicca chick?" Gwen sat back, frowning. "Look, I just did that Council job as a favor for a friend. Never said I'd sign up for slayerette training."
"Lucky I'm not a slayerette, then. Or a slayer, for that matter." The kid scraped out the last of her gelato, licked the spoon and set it down with an air of finality. "I'm a freak."
:::
"Check it out," The kid said, and held her hand out, palm facing Gwen. There was a faint pull there, that felt almost like it should crackle. "I've never felt that before."
Gwen shivered a little, eyes fluttering shut as electrons danced on her skin. She opened her eyes to see the kid examining her closely. "Nice trick," Gwen said, as coolly as she could manage. "So what's it got to do with me?"
"I told you," the kid said, rolling her eyes. "I've never felt that before. It's like you're... calling something out of me, out of my skin. I was at the Council headquarters when you met with Buffy and Willow, and just feeling you walk down the hall was like you were dragging my insides out with you."
"So, what, you got a great big electrofest going on behind those baby blues?"
"Something like that. I want to learn to control it, like you do."
Gwen laughed. "I don't control a thing, kid. It controls me. You think I got some kinda handle on mastering your inner freak? I don't know squat."
"You know how to live with it," the kid said calmly. "It's a start."
"A start, huh?" Gwen reached a hand across the table, experimentally, and the kid met her halfway. They left their fingers like that, touching, almost edging into being interlaced, and there was a feel like ozone crackling at the base of Gwen's spine where the LISA sat. Nobody was getting electrocuted, though, so all in all it was looking like a pretty good day. "Dawn, right?"
The kid nodded, and her blue eyes were like some kinda funhouse mirror.
Gwen stood, tossing enough lire on the table to cover their order, plus a nice tip for the cute and surprisingly discreet waiter. "Say, you don't have a problem with thievery as a valid career choice, do you?"
Dawn's grin revealed a neat row of pearly little teeth between full, pink-glossed lips. "I think I can handle it," she said.
Out in the piazza, Gwen looked up at the small white clouds scuttling across the blue, blue Roman sky, looked back at Dawn, and smiled. "C'mon," she said, hooking an arm through Dawn's. "Let's go paint the town red."