Dawn and Xander
Rating: T should cover this one.
Pairings: Dawn/Xander, Buffy/Spike, mentions Willow/Kennedy.
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. My TV just gave me these puppets and now I'm playing with them.
A/N: I almost always make an excuse here for lame titles. This time I'm not even going to try. Anyway… one day I woke up and wanted a Dawn/Xander paring so I wrote it. I think their friendship in Season 7 could in time have led to more. Who knows, maybe someone other than me likes it.
Chapter 1
"Ok... I'm sad to say... but I think we've gone through everyone here," Xander said looking around the Bronze for some poor creature that they hadn't already mocked this evening.
"Really?" The young brunette beside him started looking around also.
"We're pathetic," he announced sharing a look with her.
The song finished and the band started something more upbeat after the few slow songs they had done now. The people on the dancefloor scattered a little needing a bit more space for the hopping and bopping than slowdancing. Well with the exception of the truly toothachingly in-love couples including the red haired which and the dark haired slayer holding each other tightly and swaying way too slowly in rhythm with the music.
"You wanna dance?" Xander asked.
"After all we've said about the dancing people?"
"Well it's either that or checking on the pool players." He glanced towards the pool table were Buffy and Spike were occupying each other. When they played pool there were stakes. Not the typical wooden kind and not money but the kind where the other residents of the house could just hope that they finished early and went home ahead to start the paying up. "We could check if they are up to handcuffs and blindfolds yet."
"Dancing it is then." The expression on Dawn's face as she slid off the chair summed up both their relief.
Dawn was a good dancer and Xander liked dancing with her. They spent a lot of time together since the two couples in their group seemed always to be way too obsessed with each other for other, not coupled people, to stand being around them.
After a few of upbeat songs the band turned to the slow ones again. He liked the fast ones better. Slow songs just made up such a romantic atmosphere, which made him a little uncomfortable sometimes. Most of the time they would get a drink or find something else to do when they came on. Tonight they had already gone through all of their usual activities: Mocking people, making up ridiculous stories about people they had never seen before and afterwards hoped they'd never see again, annoy the bartender… "Should we maybe…" he started as he let go of her hand.
"Come on!" she insisted and took his hand again and moved closer to him.
He gave in and they started swaying to the rhythm of the music again. It wasn't so bad tonight. Didn't make him feel awkward. It actually felt rather nice having Dawns head on his shoulder, smelling her shampoo. This tiny thought triggered a series of other. He felt her warmth rush through his entire body, the skin of her hand felt like silk against his, her movements matched his uncomfortably well. Uncomfortable was a key word. His body stiffened as his unusually logical mind drew the final conclusion. These were not the brotherly feelings he was used to having for this girl.
Even though his thoughts totally freaked him out he couldn't get himself to let go of her. He just wanted to keep feeling her breath on the skin of his neck, keep her hand in his, feel her skin under his fingertips. Finally but sadly the song was over and he let go.
Back at the table he was quiet. What the hell happened out on the dancefloor? What the hell was wrong with him? She's Buffy's little sister. She could just as well be my sister! This is so wrong!
"Xander, are you alright?" Dawn asked. "I think I've never heard you be quiet for a whole 15 minutes."
Before he had to make up some lame excuse about a long day at work and a headache Willow and Kennedy joined them and nobody paid any attention to Xander's deep sigh of relief.