Fic: Clockwork, Giles/Xander, Rated G
Title: Clockwork
Author: rabid_x
Rating: G
Pairing: Giles/Xander
Setting: Mid-Season 2
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns the characters, I own this.
Summary: Rain falls and Xander visits
A/N: for noelia_g and the gilesxander No One Knows ficathon. Sorry they didn't get naked, they just seemed to want to cuddle...
The average rainfall of Southern California took some getting used to for Giles. He carried his big black umbrella with him everywhere, growing increasingly self-conscious of it dangling from his arm in sunny weather. He contemplated briefly using it as a parasol from the constant glare but, in the end, he stuck it in the corner behind the coat rack and forgot about it.
The day he actually needed it, he found it unusable due to a half melted candy bar that had fallen into it's depths from someone's jacket pocket. He braved the rain unshielded and grew accustomed to the moisture on his skin. It made him feel alive and healthy at least until Willow asked him to proof her report on toxins in rainfall and then he silently, stoically braved the light rains as an act of defiance to nature itself. He grew used to all that though, not even thinking about the occasional dash to his car after school. He got used to Xander's rainy day visits as well.
The first time Xander had shown up, slightly wet and stammering a greeting, Giles was perplexed. The children, and they were always that to Giles for the first year, were not given to impromptu visits. Xander and he hemmed and hawed, uncomfortably searching for topics to talk about before Giles suggested they order a pizza. It was consumed in silence; Xander leaving soon after the last crust disappeared. Giles watched him go, unable to help grinning when Xander paused to splash in a puddle on the sidewalk.
After a while, Giles started stocking Xander's favorite hot chocolate and leaving delivery menus on the sideboard whenever the sky hinted at gray. He cajoled Xander into learning more than the basics of chess and Xander, in turn, taught him to play Go. Giles complained that he never wanted to hear Xander despair the intricacies of chess after being beaten at Go more than five times.
The regularity of falling rain and arriving Xander had gotten so ingrained over two years that when Xander failed to arrive one very stormy Saturday, Giles began to worry. There were too many things that could happen on a rainy day.
He found himself staring at the phone as if he could will Xander to call him and tell him he was okay. Every light close to a window was lit as if to be homing beacons and Giles told himself the electric bill would not matter. It was dim enough out there for Angelus to come out if he so wished.
Hard as he tried, Giles could not banish the worst thoughts that sprang to his mind. After all, Jenny had laid upstairs waiting for his return. The fact that Angelus hadn't gone after one of them just yet spoke either volumes about their attention to safety or to the mad vampire's ability to wait. He feared it was Angelus' patience or perhaps sense of drama that kept them alive.
But what if he struck out today? What if today, with all the clouds, Angelus felt safe? Or if Buffy had angered him further? Giles knew well from his studies that even though Angelus seemed bedlam bound, the vampire would strike through the friends and relatives first.
When the knock came at last, Giles leapt to his feet and rushed to the door. He could not still the anxious beating of his heart as he hurried to the door anymore than he could stop himself from hauling a wet, sniffling Xander in for a hug.
"Whoa! Hey there Giles... um...Doesn't this violate safety protocols?" Xander asked. "Not that I mind... crap. I mean thank you for the hug. It is very wet. I will touch a cross and come in now, yes?"
Giles chuckled self-consciously and stepped back. “As long as you stop trying to sound like a language tape, yes.”
“Sorry, you took me kinda by surprise here,” Xander said, digging a cross out of his back pocket and holding it up. “See? Carrying the big one. Never know when the psycho Neander-Vamp will show.”
“That had crossed my mind,” Giles said, shutting the door and heading to the bathroom. “Let me get you a towel.”
“Thanks,” Xander called after him. “No car for me today. And that was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?”
“A bit,” Giles said, coming back with a towel. He watched Xander rub at his hair and somewhat futilely at his shirt. “I should get you some dry clothes.”
“I don’t… yeah, okay. That would be cool. Well warm actually. Giles clothes are warm I imagine,” Xander said, trailing off quietly as Giles went upstairs.
Giles brought Xander back some clothes and waited while Xander went to change. The relief he felt at Xander’s arrival evened out his embarrassment at the sudden display of emotion upon the doorstep. The grateful smile Xander shot his way after changing only strengthened the warmth inside.
“So you want me to kick your butt at Go again today?” Xander asked, plopping down on the couch.
“I do believe it’s my turn to kick yours at chess,” Giles replied with a smirk as he pulled out the chess set.
They played for a while, the silence broken only by the rain and the occasional murmur during moves. Giles watched Xander rub his hands together hard enough to redden them and bounce his knees as if playing a double set of bass drums. All his usual signs of nerves multiplied ten-fold.
“Xander,” Giles began quietly, “Is there anything wrong?”
Xander shook his head. “No distracting me while I am moving here.”
“Xander…”
“Seriously, I am about to put you into check. Shush.”
Giles sighed and settled back into his chair. Xander dithered and finally placed his piece with a slight crow.
“And that’s check, g-man!”
“It can’t be,” Giles said, looking at the board. “Oh. Yes, well so it is.”
“Can I stay here tonight?”
Giles looked up and saw Xander looking anxiously back at him, hands clasped between his bouncing knees.
“Of course, on one condition,” Giles said, sitting up. “What happened?”
Xander struggled quietly, looking away and back at Giles before slumping back into the couch. “The parents are in full swing with the Saturday Night Shouts and… I kinda ran into the evil twins tonight.”
Giles raised his eyebrows. “Angelus and Drusilla?”
Xander nodded. “They chased me about four blocks, laughing and being crazy the whole time. It was… creepy.”
Giles stood up, clasping Xander’s shoulder as he went by. The boy was shaking despite the dry clothes. “Of course you can stay here. For as long as you like.”
Xander turned his head to watch Giles go to the kitchen. “Thanks.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Giles said offhandedly. “Would you like some tea?”
“Long as it doesn’t taste like lawn clippings.”
“I promise it will not taste like lawn clippings.”
*****
“This is pretty cool music.”
Giles looked over where Xander was curled up at the other end of the couch. “It’s Hawkwind, um Hall of the Mountain Grill.”
Xander laughed and tilted a bit. “That’s as weird a title as the music. Spacey acid rock was not what I expected.”
Giles reached over and poked at Xander, feeling warm and amused. “I’ve played plenty of psychedelic rock for you.”
“Yeah but this is… weird. Cool though.” Xander said, peering up at Giles.
“You’ve heard of Motorhead perhaps?” Giles asked, brushing some of Xander’s hair back.
Xander’s eyes slit and he nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well their lead singer is the bassist here.”
Xander’s eyes opened and he grinned. “No way. That’s Lemmy whathisname?”
“Mm-hm,” Giles continued to card Xander’s hair.
“Still weird,” Xander scooted closer, resting his head against Giles’ thigh. “You know Motorhead.”
“I suspect I know a lot of things you didn’t expect,” Giles said.
They sat there for a while longer, Giles’ fingers still moving through Xander’s hair. Xander nestled in and yawned slightly.
“Hey Giles?”
“Yes?”
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Giles smiled. “Of course.”
Author: rabid_x
Rating: G
Pairing: Giles/Xander
Setting: Mid-Season 2
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns the characters, I own this.
Summary: Rain falls and Xander visits
A/N: for noelia_g and the gilesxander No One Knows ficathon. Sorry they didn't get naked, they just seemed to want to cuddle...
The average rainfall of Southern California took some getting used to for Giles. He carried his big black umbrella with him everywhere, growing increasingly self-conscious of it dangling from his arm in sunny weather. He contemplated briefly using it as a parasol from the constant glare but, in the end, he stuck it in the corner behind the coat rack and forgot about it.
The day he actually needed it, he found it unusable due to a half melted candy bar that had fallen into it's depths from someone's jacket pocket. He braved the rain unshielded and grew accustomed to the moisture on his skin. It made him feel alive and healthy at least until Willow asked him to proof her report on toxins in rainfall and then he silently, stoically braved the light rains as an act of defiance to nature itself. He grew used to all that though, not even thinking about the occasional dash to his car after school. He got used to Xander's rainy day visits as well.
The first time Xander had shown up, slightly wet and stammering a greeting, Giles was perplexed. The children, and they were always that to Giles for the first year, were not given to impromptu visits. Xander and he hemmed and hawed, uncomfortably searching for topics to talk about before Giles suggested they order a pizza. It was consumed in silence; Xander leaving soon after the last crust disappeared. Giles watched him go, unable to help grinning when Xander paused to splash in a puddle on the sidewalk.
After a while, Giles started stocking Xander's favorite hot chocolate and leaving delivery menus on the sideboard whenever the sky hinted at gray. He cajoled Xander into learning more than the basics of chess and Xander, in turn, taught him to play Go. Giles complained that he never wanted to hear Xander despair the intricacies of chess after being beaten at Go more than five times.
The regularity of falling rain and arriving Xander had gotten so ingrained over two years that when Xander failed to arrive one very stormy Saturday, Giles began to worry. There were too many things that could happen on a rainy day.
He found himself staring at the phone as if he could will Xander to call him and tell him he was okay. Every light close to a window was lit as if to be homing beacons and Giles told himself the electric bill would not matter. It was dim enough out there for Angelus to come out if he so wished.
Hard as he tried, Giles could not banish the worst thoughts that sprang to his mind. After all, Jenny had laid upstairs waiting for his return. The fact that Angelus hadn't gone after one of them just yet spoke either volumes about their attention to safety or to the mad vampire's ability to wait. He feared it was Angelus' patience or perhaps sense of drama that kept them alive.
But what if he struck out today? What if today, with all the clouds, Angelus felt safe? Or if Buffy had angered him further? Giles knew well from his studies that even though Angelus seemed bedlam bound, the vampire would strike through the friends and relatives first.
When the knock came at last, Giles leapt to his feet and rushed to the door. He could not still the anxious beating of his heart as he hurried to the door anymore than he could stop himself from hauling a wet, sniffling Xander in for a hug.
"Whoa! Hey there Giles... um...Doesn't this violate safety protocols?" Xander asked. "Not that I mind... crap. I mean thank you for the hug. It is very wet. I will touch a cross and come in now, yes?"
Giles chuckled self-consciously and stepped back. “As long as you stop trying to sound like a language tape, yes.”
“Sorry, you took me kinda by surprise here,” Xander said, digging a cross out of his back pocket and holding it up. “See? Carrying the big one. Never know when the psycho Neander-Vamp will show.”
“That had crossed my mind,” Giles said, shutting the door and heading to the bathroom. “Let me get you a towel.”
“Thanks,” Xander called after him. “No car for me today. And that was pretty obvious, wasn’t it?”
“A bit,” Giles said, coming back with a towel. He watched Xander rub at his hair and somewhat futilely at his shirt. “I should get you some dry clothes.”
“I don’t… yeah, okay. That would be cool. Well warm actually. Giles clothes are warm I imagine,” Xander said, trailing off quietly as Giles went upstairs.
Giles brought Xander back some clothes and waited while Xander went to change. The relief he felt at Xander’s arrival evened out his embarrassment at the sudden display of emotion upon the doorstep. The grateful smile Xander shot his way after changing only strengthened the warmth inside.
“So you want me to kick your butt at Go again today?” Xander asked, plopping down on the couch.
“I do believe it’s my turn to kick yours at chess,” Giles replied with a smirk as he pulled out the chess set.
They played for a while, the silence broken only by the rain and the occasional murmur during moves. Giles watched Xander rub his hands together hard enough to redden them and bounce his knees as if playing a double set of bass drums. All his usual signs of nerves multiplied ten-fold.
“Xander,” Giles began quietly, “Is there anything wrong?”
Xander shook his head. “No distracting me while I am moving here.”
“Xander…”
“Seriously, I am about to put you into check. Shush.”
Giles sighed and settled back into his chair. Xander dithered and finally placed his piece with a slight crow.
“And that’s check, g-man!”
“It can’t be,” Giles said, looking at the board. “Oh. Yes, well so it is.”
“Can I stay here tonight?”
Giles looked up and saw Xander looking anxiously back at him, hands clasped between his bouncing knees.
“Of course, on one condition,” Giles said, sitting up. “What happened?”
Xander struggled quietly, looking away and back at Giles before slumping back into the couch. “The parents are in full swing with the Saturday Night Shouts and… I kinda ran into the evil twins tonight.”
Giles raised his eyebrows. “Angelus and Drusilla?”
Xander nodded. “They chased me about four blocks, laughing and being crazy the whole time. It was… creepy.”
Giles stood up, clasping Xander’s shoulder as he went by. The boy was shaking despite the dry clothes. “Of course you can stay here. For as long as you like.”
Xander turned his head to watch Giles go to the kitchen. “Thanks.”
“It’s no problem at all,” Giles said offhandedly. “Would you like some tea?”
“Long as it doesn’t taste like lawn clippings.”
“I promise it will not taste like lawn clippings.”
*****
“This is pretty cool music.”
Giles looked over where Xander was curled up at the other end of the couch. “It’s Hawkwind, um Hall of the Mountain Grill.”
Xander laughed and tilted a bit. “That’s as weird a title as the music. Spacey acid rock was not what I expected.”
Giles reached over and poked at Xander, feeling warm and amused. “I’ve played plenty of psychedelic rock for you.”
“Yeah but this is… weird. Cool though.” Xander said, peering up at Giles.
“You’ve heard of Motorhead perhaps?” Giles asked, brushing some of Xander’s hair back.
Xander’s eyes slit and he nodded. “Yeah.”
“Well their lead singer is the bassist here.”
Xander’s eyes opened and he grinned. “No way. That’s Lemmy whathisname?”
“Mm-hm,” Giles continued to card Xander’s hair.
“Still weird,” Xander scooted closer, resting his head against Giles’ thigh. “You know Motorhead.”
“I suspect I know a lot of things you didn’t expect,” Giles said.
They sat there for a while longer, Giles’ fingers still moving through Xander’s hair. Xander nestled in and yawned slightly.
“Hey Giles?”
“Yes?”
“Can I sleep with you tonight?”
Giles smiled. “Of course.”