Ficlets: "Entertainment Value" and "Proud"

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

And two more. There will be at least one more after this, possibly two. Which isn't bad, considering I started the day with zero.

Title: Entertainment Value
Rating: G
Summary/Prompt: For katekat1010, who wanted "Giles/Buffy, stubbed toes."

Entertainment Value

"Ow!"

"Careful," Buffy called.

"Buffy, what in the world -"

Buffy stuck her head out of her closet to see Giles fighting - wallowing - his way toward her through the piles of clothes and shoes on their bedroom floor. "I'm cleaning my closet."

"I just stubbed my toe on a pair of - of irrationally tall heels," Giles grumbled, hopping up and down dramatically. "Tell me our bedroom isn't going to be like this for very long."

"Um. Well." Buffy bit her lip and tried to figure out a way to put this so Giles wouldn't kill her. 'Cause it was gonna be a couple days at least. "You know how, when you reorganize your books, things get worse before they get better? This is sorta like that. Except with shoes. I'll clear off the bed," she added.

"Well, ta ever so," Giles said, and proceeded to walk straight into an unforgiving pile of shoeboxes, which wobbled and then crashed down on him. He froze, his face a mask of disbelieving, barely contained pissiness. Buffy swallowed a giggle. "Dear God, I can't - Buffy, how did you even fit this many shoes into that closet?"

Buffy shrugged. "It's a big closet." Giles shook his head, staring around at the mess - all right, the disaster - with bewilderment. Buffy took pity on him and waded out to throw her arms around his neck. "Just think," she whispered in his ear. He shivered. "Think of how wonderfully organized it will be. All the shoeboxes stacked neatly. I'm even going to label them, so I don't have to take them all out in the morning to find the ones I want. I'm planning to sort my clothes by color. You'll actually be able to look in my closet without risking blowing that vein in your forehead that pops out when you get annoyed."

"Don't bet on it," Giles grumbled, casting another look around. "Well . . . I suppose I must support this venture. But I think it's best if I support it from afar."

"Probably," Buffy agreed. She planted a kiss on his lips. "Thank you."

Giles kissed her back, then started making his slow, grumbling way back to the door. "I'll be up at the castle," he said with a sigh. "Let me know if I need to send in a task force of - ow!" He hopped up and down, holding his much-abused foot and swearing in a distinctly non-Gilesy way.

Buffy laughed and ducked back into the closet. There was a lot to be said for getting this over with as soon as possible . . . but also a certain entertainment value in drawing it out.

Fin.

Title: Proud
Rating: G
Summary/Prompt: For cmk418, who wanted "Giles/Xander - season 4 - Xander gives Giles a pep talk." And also because I went to Pride this last weekennd.

Proud

"I hate you."

Xander grinned. "Aww, G-man, you're just saying that." He slung an arm around Giles's shoulders, ignoring a muttered, Don't call me that. It was a bright, sunny morning, twenty degrees cooler in San Francisco than it would've been in Sunnydale, and they were two of a massive crowd, lining the length of Market Street. Rainbow flags fluttered in the breeze funneling down towards the Bay. Xander bounced on his heels. "Giles, it is time you jumped on the Pride bandwagon."

Giles heaved a sigh. "God, I should never have told you. I do not understand the point of this - thiscircus. I like men. I fail to see what there is to be proud of, anymore than I should be proud I like broccoli."

Xander rolled his eyes. "You know what you are? You're a Pride Scrooge. And I am here to be your Ghost of Prides Past, Present, and Future."

"Impossible. There are no Prides past. There will be no Prides future. Ergo -"

"You don't know that."

"Oh yes." The look Giles gave him was narrow-eyed and annoyed. "I do. From now on I shall remember that the last weekend of June is Pride in America, and any attempts to get me into a motorized vehicle of any sort will be met with the utmost resistance."

"Well, there's always the club 'em, sack 'em, and drag 'em approach." Giles failed to look amused. Xander heaved a sigh. "C'mon, Giles. Why not be proud of it? I mean, it's not like it's a big deal anymore. No one cares."

"No one cares," Giles said evenly, "unless you are a school librarian who has extended and somewhat unorthodox contact with a small group of students on a regular basis. God, as though it weren't bad enough, the way certain faculty used to look at me when Buffy came out of the library after a morning practice session - you were there rather a lot, Xander. More than Buffy, sometimes. If anyone had thought for even a moment -" He bit off the rest of the words. "So, you may criticize me for being in the closet all you like. You don't know how it is."

Xander opened his mouth, then shut it. "Oh."

"Quite."

Xander kept his mouth shut. Down the street, a cheer went up, along with the revving of engines. Xander bit his tongue as Dykes on Bikes roared down the street, rainbow flags streaming as they waved at the crowd. More than one of them was strikingly naked - or close enough - from the waist up. Giles made a noise in his throat, shock or disgust, and Xander sighed to himself. Pride had sounded like fun. Giles . . . needed some fun. He hadn't had a lot since they blew up the school. It hadn't occurred to him that one person's fun was another person's unbelievable discomfort.

Still, Xander didn't like the idea of Giles being in the closet because he was afraid. Giles was the bravest person Xander knew, besides Buffy.

The Dykes on Bikes had passed before either of them said anything else. A float went by with a number of half-naked men dancing to ABBA. One of them blew Xander a kiss and he grinned, feeling a flush of sudden bravery. He could do this.

"Two things," he said to Giles.

"Hmph."

"One. You're not a school librarian anymore."

Giles grimaced. "Thank you so much for reminding me. Not a librarian, not a watcher -"

"Just Giles. Which is not, you know, a bad thing to be. You're a smart guy, and a good teacher, and a crack shot with a crossbow. You're the reason Buffy lived to see her high school graduation. She knows it, too, even if she doesn't say it. And you like men." Xander shrugged. "Maybe it's not anything to be proud of, but the fact that you can say it out loud is something to be proud of."

"Xander -"

"Two," Xander said, loudly, because the next float was playing the Backstreet Boys at top volume, "I do know how it is."

He wasn't looking at Giles. He was looking at a guy in heels and a bright pink feather boa, walking a golden retriever with a long-suffering air and a feather boa of its own. But he felt Giles's head whip around. "Really?"

Xander shrugged. "Let's say Larry was right about me. Sorta. So when you told me," he sneaked a glance up at Giles's face, "that meant something. At first I thought you'd figured out about me. And then I realized you hadn't and you'd told me anyway."

Giles stayed quiet until there was a break in the parade, between groups. "I told you because you're my friend."

"And I told you 'cause you're mine." Xander looked up at him then, full-on, no more sneaking glances. "I'm proud of that, too, you know." He shrugged. "I should've guessed you wouldn't like this. C'mon, let's find someplace to get breakfast." He started to step back from his spot at the barrier, to thread his way through the crowd. He thought he'd seen a Starbucks a couple blocks back.

Giles's hand landed on his shoulder. "No. Let's stay."

Xander frowned. "Yeah?"

"Yes. At least through the parade." The hand on his shoulder squeezed. "I'm proud you're my friend, too, Xander."

Xander grinned.

Fin.

Comments

[firthgal.livejournal.com]

Oh, these were absolutely wonderful! The Buffy/Giles one left me grinning like a loon, such a great snapshot of their life together.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I don't write much shippy B/G, but this was fun!

[antennapedia.livejournal.com]

The Giles/Xander pride parade one has me all weepy. I have no idea why, but yeah, that one hit the spot.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Awwwww! *hugs* Thank you!

[whichclothes.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed both of these! Such different scenarios, but both sweet.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[froxyn.livejournal.com]

I rarely read anything other than Buffy/Giles...or Giles/Ethan..

But, your Giles/Xander made me smile.

And the Buffy/Giles...God, they're so adorable!

:D

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

And I hardly ever write B/G, but this was a fun one.

So glad you enjoyed it!

[cmk418]

These are great! The first one is really funny since with everything Giles has navigated in the past, he can't get through Buffy's minefield of shoes. I can really see this playing out in my head.

As for the second, I love it. This exchange had me laughing -

I fail to see what there is to be proud of, anymore than I should be proud I like broccoli."

Xander rolled his eyes. "You know what you are? You're a Pride Scrooge. And I am here to be your Ghost of Prides Past, Present, and Future."

I like how you give us the reasons for Giles' discomfort and then have Xander refute them. Beautifully done.

Thank you so much for going above and beyond on my request. And, even though it's a little belated, Happy Pride!

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I had a ton of fun with both of these.

Yes, Happy Pride to you as well (a week late)! I had such a good time at SF Pride last weekend, I had to incorporate them somehow, and for some reason I wanted to use Xander. Your prompt was perfect for it.

[mammothluv.livejournal.com]

I like these both! Tehe! The Buffy/Giles one, especially, is such a great image. I'm giggling just picturing Giles trying to make his way through the pile of shoes. And the Giles and Xander one is very sweet.

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Poor Giles. Life with a shopaholic is so hard. Somehow he'll get through.

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

These were great! I love Buffy with a plan, and it being a closet organization plan gave me a grin. Giles' bewilderment at the sheer volume of her stuff made the grin even wider. Sometimes she can be such a girl and you know that's something he enjoys most of the time.

I enjoyed the play with Pride and pride and proud in the second scene. Xander's so sincere in his admiration, it makes me love him just a little bit harder. This was touching: "I told you because you're my friend."

"And I told you 'cause you're mine."

[sahiya.livejournal.com]

Thank you! She can be such a girl, it's true. Poor Giles. His life is so hard.

I love Xander as well. *hugs Xander*

[vala3.livejournal.com]

Oh loved the attack of the shoes. You do a really good B/G ship. Would love to see more. And the Giles and Xander-you did proud.

[kargrif.livejournal.com]

Giles/Buffy isn't something I normally seek out, but I loved your little glimpse into a possible future scene.

Loved the warm fuzzies that the Giles/Xander left me with, great fics!

[dragonydreams.livejournal.com]

It hadn't occurred to him that one person's fun was another person's unbelievable discomfort.

Ah, Xander. So blissfully clueless sometimes. At least he means well.