Title: A little Decorating - part 2
Author: Michelle
Rating: NC-17 overall (but PG-13 for this part)
Pairing: Buffy/Giles
Summary: Buffy helps Giles decorate for Christmas.
Setting: Season five, but no real spoilers
Disclaimer: These are not my characters. They belong to Joss, Twentieth Century Fox, UPN, WB & Mutant Enemy. This is purely for fun.
Author's note: Written for Catzen. Merry Christmas. Just pretend there's no Riley.
Early the next morning, Giles heard strange noises coming from outside. He glanced to the window and noticed the sun was coming up. 'That rules out vampires,' he thought. 'So what is that noise?' He stumbled down the stairs and made his way to the door. Quickly, he opened the door, hoping to catch the culprit off-guard. To his surprise, he came face to face with a naked Christmas tree, a tremendously large tree.
"Surprise!" a voice shouted from behind the tree.
"Buffy?"
"Yeah. Who else would it be?" Buffy said as she peeked around the tree. "So, are you gonna just stand there or are you gonna help me?"
"Sorry," he said as he helped maneuver the tree through the doorway. "I never expected this."
"Duh, Giles. That's why it's a surprise. You do like surprises, don't you?" she asked.
"Yes, Buffy, I like surprises," he answered. 'Especially when they come from you,' he thought.
They worked to clear a spot near the bottom of the stairs and set up the tree. When they finished, Buffy finally took time to look at how Giles was dressed. He was only wearing grey sweat pants and a white t-shirt, no shoes, no glasses, and his hair was a bit rumpled.
"Oh no. I didn't interrupt something, did I? 'Cause the last time I saw you dressed like that. . ."
"Buffy, I was sleeping. You woke me. That's all." Before Buffy could comment, Giles changed the subject. "Have you eaten breakfast?"
"I had some coffee. Does that count?" Giles raised an eyebrow in response. "I guess not."
"Why don't you unpack the decorations while I make breakfast?" He gestured to a stack of boxes near the fireplace.
* * * * * * *
Giles stole glances of Buffy while making breakfast and more than once caught her looking his way. They ate breakfast in an uncomfortable silence until Buffy said, "You've got some pretty strange ornaments in those boxes, Giles."
"I assure you there's a story for each of them." Giles had to hold back a laugh. "Didn't you ever have ornaments that were special?"
"Once time I made an ornament at school for my mom and dad. I haven't seen it since they got divorced. Usually, we just used boxes of store bought decorations."
Silence again hung between them for the remainder of the meal. Soon after, Giles started to walk upstairs. Buffy blocked his path.
"And where do you think you're going?" she asked.
"I'm going to change clothes," he explained. "I slept in these all night."
Buffy didn't move. "No. I like the way you look. It's all comfy. I don't want you putting on layers of stuffy clothes or baggy sweaters. No stuffiness today. I won't allow it."
They stared at each other for a while, each trying to gauge the other's intent.
"Very well, but don't complain about my cold feet later."