Notes: Another quick and short "because I was bored" fic... It's weird, yeah,
but what can I say? Anya and Andrew have a little chat while everyone
else is away.
Anya sat in the Summers' living room, idly stirring the ice in her cup of soda around with her straw. Andrew sat on the couch across from her, doing what he'd been doing quite often these days: watching videos on his camcorder. She could faintly hear the voices on it. She recognized the three voices as being herself, Faith, and Willow, but it was too quiet to understand exactly what was being said.
"Don't you ever get bored with that thing?" she asked, rolling her eyes at their young hostage. He made an exasperated face. "Haven't I already told you guys enough times? The story needs to be told. And nobody else wants to tell it, so I took the job. A job I'm taking very seriously! So stop making fun of me," he said, without looking away from the TV screen on his camera. Although he was their hostage, and was formerly evil, she had to feel sorry for the boy. He was tricked into killing his only friend he had left, after fleeing to Mexico for safety from a severely pissed of Evil Willow. Before that, Willow had skinned his other friend alive.
And plus... She, too, used to be more or less evil. And nobody was constantly picking on her.
Besides, who in the house ever really took the time to get to know Andrew? They all saw him as a necessary nuisance, and dismissed him. Although, Anya thought, I doubt he could be evil again if he tried. He was barely that evil when he WAS considered evil...
Setting her drink on the table next to her, Anya got a plan in her head. She figured that she might as well be the one to discover what Andrew was really like, beneath the annoyingly geeky exterior. Even if it just lead to an annoyingly geeky interior, it would be worth the try. Besides, everyone else was gone from the house, which was a rare event, and probably wouldn't be back for another hour or so. And she was getting bored.
"Hey, would you mind putting that away for a minute?" she asked, staring at the blonde boy. This time he actually looked up, with a confused expression on his face. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. Why would anyone want to have a conversation with him? "Because I want to talk to you, that's why. Might as well take advantage of being the only ones in the house, huh? And I don't mean that in a kinky sex way. Definitely not..."
"Well..." he ignored the kinky sex comment, and looked down at his camcorder and then up to Anya, and back to the camcorder, before switching it off. "Okay, then. What do you want to talk about?" he asked, scooting to the section of the couch closest to Anya and propping his face up with his hands, elbows on his knees. He looked expectantly at Anya.
"I don't know," she replied, thinking a moment. "Life in general? How's it treating you? Y'know, besides the obvious reason of it sucking because you're technically our hostage and everyone thinks you're annoying?" She did one of her trademark Anya smiles, which were usually done after she said something she wasn't sure she was supposed to have, and didn't really care. They came less lately, since she was almost completely adjusted to the normal human life, but it was still something the Scoobies noticed.
"Well, I'd say it's good. Being a hostage has its advantages, you know. I get food and shelter for free, and I sit around all day. I can read comics and play with my camera. And there's so many people here to talk to. Never mind that they're all girls except Xander and Giles and Spike." He frowned, wondering if he'd missed any of the perks of being held hostage, but nodded once he felt satisfied that he hadn't forgotten anything. Anya nodded too. "Yes, I can see how those could be nice advantages. If I wasn't part of the gang, I'd definitely want to become like you. Free food, a fair amount of protection... Besides, aren't you happy about being around all these girls? Granted they're younger than you, but not by *that* much. Hell, Willow's messing around with one of them."
Andrew blushed slightly, but if Anya noticed she didn't pay any mind. "Well, I dunno... It's okay, I guess. The being around a bunch of girls. Most of the potentials are fairly nice to me. Except Kennedy and sometimes Rona." Anya snorted in disgust. "I wouldn't pay any mind to Kennedy if I were you. She's been being a bitch to everyone lately, she thinks she's boss or something. Buffy wanted to set her straight. You know, in the who's boss sense, not the gay sense. But apparently Faith likes her attitude. Maybe because it's so much like her own." She rolled her eyes. "How I'd like to kick that little potential ass... But, everyone seems to be pissing everyone off these days, so I don't think beating her up would help anyone in the least."
Andrew had been listening intently, still in the same position as before, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands. "Yeah, I see your point," he replied, "She isn't very nice. But fighting won't help. Especially if like, the fact that you two fought caused the world to end. Because it seems like just inhaling might bring on this huge apocalypse. And anyway, I try to be fair and nice with everyone, even if they aren't nice to me. At least that way, if I don't win, I know it's not because I did something wrong."
Anya's immediate thought was that that wasn't entirely true, but Andrew knew that anyway, so she figured it would be pointless saying it. That and the fact that people aren't nice to him because he acts like the world's biggest geek. But her task here was to find something interesting about Andrew, beyond his geekiness and into his thoughts and feelings. It wasn't to make him feel bad by pointing out the obvious more than she already had when she'd started.
"That's a good way to do things. But see, I really don't care about a lot of stuff, so that covers me in most areas," she pointed out.
They sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what else to talk about. The conversation seemed to be going well. And even though she hadn't got much out of him, Andrew was at least proving he was okay to talk to. Anya thought she might have to do it more often. Even with everyone around, things could get boring easily around there.
"So," Anya said slowly, as if still pondering her question. "What would you want to do the most? You know, if the world and you are both still around after this big battle of good and evil? Assuming that the good side won, and you weren't some useless slave for a big shot demon."
Andrew cringed slightly at the thought of being a slave, but shook it off and began to think of his answer. What was he supposed to say? That he still would want to be good? But that would be a dumb answer, she probably knew that. "I guess I'd want to get a real job," he said, "So I could get my own apartment. House, maybe. But a house might be too much for living on my own..." Anya gave him a skeptical look. "You just plan on living on your own the rest of your life?"
Truthfully, he'd never thought it out any other way. Especially now that Warren and Jonathan were dead. Not that he was all that sure he would have had any chance with either of them, anyway. Maybe just living together as friends, though. That would have been okay. "I guess so," he said after a moment, "The only person I'd really want to live with isn't really interested in guys."
Anya eyed him. "You want Willow?" she asked. But then she laughed. "Too bad for you she's gay." Andrew shook his head violently. "No, I don't want Willow! That'd be weird!" he exclaimed. "Well, what am I supposed to think? How many other lesbians are there around here? You know, besides Kennedy. But I highly doubt you'd go for her. Unless of course you're talking about a guy," she joked. Andrew fidgeted guiltily, and felt Anya's stare on him as she grinned.
"So it's a guy, huh? Should've known," Anya chuckled to herself. "So, who is it? If you say Giles, I *will* be disgusted. Just because he's all old." Andrew looked down to the floor. "I don't want to tell you," he whined.
Anya thought for a moment. There weren't any other guys besides Giles around here, except him, Spike, and... Oh god. She began laughing extremely loudly. "Xander!? You want *Xander*?!" Andrew turned crimson. "You shouldn't laugh at me. You want him too, if you'd conveniently forgotten," Andrew pointed out. "Want*ed* him. We're done now. And besides, I wouldn't be too sure about Xander. Did you not hear his extremely loud decision that he wanted Willow to 'gay him up'?" Andrew nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'm probably dying anyway, so it doesn't really matter. And don't tell anyone."
Anya shrugged. "Who would I tell anyway? You know, that would really care? Besides maybe Xander himself. But don't worry, your dirty little secret is safe with me." She picked her glass back up again, and took a drink through the straw.
"It's not *dirty*," Andrew shot, "And besides, I'll bet you've got at least one interesting love or even just crush of your own." Anya rolled her eyes. "Well, duh! We all do," she replied.
Andrew's face went from embarrassed and angry to excited and interested. "Ooh, ooh! Who?" he begged. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Andrew pouted. "Tell me!!!" Anya smirked. "Guess."
Andrew sighed in defeat. "Well... Obviously it's got to be someone I know? Ummm..." He tried to think of who it could be. He scanned the room, though he wasn't sure why, seeing as he and Anya were the only ones there. Giles? Spike? No... He looked up at the doorframe leading to the stairs. "Willow?"
"You little... How did you..." she followed her eyes to where he was looking. The red-headed witch stood in the doorframe, grinning. "Very interesting conversation you two have been having," Willow commented, grin never leaving her face. Anya tried to get the guilty look off her own. "Oops. Didn't know you were there..." Willow just laughed and headed to the kitchen with a bag of groceries, patting the slightly embarrassed Anya on the back.
"I thought there was something up with her these days..." Willow muttered to herself, chuckling as she set down the bag and helped Buffy put away the groceries.
Anya sat in the Summers' living room, idly stirring the ice in her cup of soda around with her straw. Andrew sat on the couch across from her, doing what he'd been doing quite often these days: watching videos on his camcorder. She could faintly hear the voices on it. She recognized the three voices as being herself, Faith, and Willow, but it was too quiet to understand exactly what was being said.
"Don't you ever get bored with that thing?" she asked, rolling her eyes at their young hostage. He made an exasperated face. "Haven't I already told you guys enough times? The story needs to be told. And nobody else wants to tell it, so I took the job. A job I'm taking very seriously! So stop making fun of me," he said, without looking away from the TV screen on his camera. Although he was their hostage, and was formerly evil, she had to feel sorry for the boy. He was tricked into killing his only friend he had left, after fleeing to Mexico for safety from a severely pissed of Evil Willow. Before that, Willow had skinned his other friend alive.
And plus... She, too, used to be more or less evil. And nobody was constantly picking on her.
Besides, who in the house ever really took the time to get to know Andrew? They all saw him as a necessary nuisance, and dismissed him. Although, Anya thought, I doubt he could be evil again if he tried. He was barely that evil when he WAS considered evil...
Setting her drink on the table next to her, Anya got a plan in her head. She figured that she might as well be the one to discover what Andrew was really like, beneath the annoyingly geeky exterior. Even if it just lead to an annoyingly geeky interior, it would be worth the try. Besides, everyone else was gone from the house, which was a rare event, and probably wouldn't be back for another hour or so. And she was getting bored.
"Hey, would you mind putting that away for a minute?" she asked, staring at the blonde boy. This time he actually looked up, with a confused expression on his face. "Why?" he asked suspiciously. Why would anyone want to have a conversation with him? "Because I want to talk to you, that's why. Might as well take advantage of being the only ones in the house, huh? And I don't mean that in a kinky sex way. Definitely not..."
"Well..." he ignored the kinky sex comment, and looked down at his camcorder and then up to Anya, and back to the camcorder, before switching it off. "Okay, then. What do you want to talk about?" he asked, scooting to the section of the couch closest to Anya and propping his face up with his hands, elbows on his knees. He looked expectantly at Anya.
"I don't know," she replied, thinking a moment. "Life in general? How's it treating you? Y'know, besides the obvious reason of it sucking because you're technically our hostage and everyone thinks you're annoying?" She did one of her trademark Anya smiles, which were usually done after she said something she wasn't sure she was supposed to have, and didn't really care. They came less lately, since she was almost completely adjusted to the normal human life, but it was still something the Scoobies noticed.
"Well, I'd say it's good. Being a hostage has its advantages, you know. I get food and shelter for free, and I sit around all day. I can read comics and play with my camera. And there's so many people here to talk to. Never mind that they're all girls except Xander and Giles and Spike." He frowned, wondering if he'd missed any of the perks of being held hostage, but nodded once he felt satisfied that he hadn't forgotten anything. Anya nodded too. "Yes, I can see how those could be nice advantages. If I wasn't part of the gang, I'd definitely want to become like you. Free food, a fair amount of protection... Besides, aren't you happy about being around all these girls? Granted they're younger than you, but not by *that* much. Hell, Willow's messing around with one of them."
Andrew blushed slightly, but if Anya noticed she didn't pay any mind. "Well, I dunno... It's okay, I guess. The being around a bunch of girls. Most of the potentials are fairly nice to me. Except Kennedy and sometimes Rona." Anya snorted in disgust. "I wouldn't pay any mind to Kennedy if I were you. She's been being a bitch to everyone lately, she thinks she's boss or something. Buffy wanted to set her straight. You know, in the who's boss sense, not the gay sense. But apparently Faith likes her attitude. Maybe because it's so much like her own." She rolled her eyes. "How I'd like to kick that little potential ass... But, everyone seems to be pissing everyone off these days, so I don't think beating her up would help anyone in the least."
Andrew had been listening intently, still in the same position as before, elbows on his knees, chin in his hands. "Yeah, I see your point," he replied, "She isn't very nice. But fighting won't help. Especially if like, the fact that you two fought caused the world to end. Because it seems like just inhaling might bring on this huge apocalypse. And anyway, I try to be fair and nice with everyone, even if they aren't nice to me. At least that way, if I don't win, I know it's not because I did something wrong."
Anya's immediate thought was that that wasn't entirely true, but Andrew knew that anyway, so she figured it would be pointless saying it. That and the fact that people aren't nice to him because he acts like the world's biggest geek. But her task here was to find something interesting about Andrew, beyond his geekiness and into his thoughts and feelings. It wasn't to make him feel bad by pointing out the obvious more than she already had when she'd started.
"That's a good way to do things. But see, I really don't care about a lot of stuff, so that covers me in most areas," she pointed out.
They sat in silence for a moment, thinking about what else to talk about. The conversation seemed to be going well. And even though she hadn't got much out of him, Andrew was at least proving he was okay to talk to. Anya thought she might have to do it more often. Even with everyone around, things could get boring easily around there.
"So," Anya said slowly, as if still pondering her question. "What would you want to do the most? You know, if the world and you are both still around after this big battle of good and evil? Assuming that the good side won, and you weren't some useless slave for a big shot demon."
Andrew cringed slightly at the thought of being a slave, but shook it off and began to think of his answer. What was he supposed to say? That he still would want to be good? But that would be a dumb answer, she probably knew that. "I guess I'd want to get a real job," he said, "So I could get my own apartment. House, maybe. But a house might be too much for living on my own..." Anya gave him a skeptical look. "You just plan on living on your own the rest of your life?"
Truthfully, he'd never thought it out any other way. Especially now that Warren and Jonathan were dead. Not that he was all that sure he would have had any chance with either of them, anyway. Maybe just living together as friends, though. That would have been okay. "I guess so," he said after a moment, "The only person I'd really want to live with isn't really interested in guys."
Anya eyed him. "You want Willow?" she asked. But then she laughed. "Too bad for you she's gay." Andrew shook his head violently. "No, I don't want Willow! That'd be weird!" he exclaimed. "Well, what am I supposed to think? How many other lesbians are there around here? You know, besides Kennedy. But I highly doubt you'd go for her. Unless of course you're talking about a guy," she joked. Andrew fidgeted guiltily, and felt Anya's stare on him as she grinned.
"So it's a guy, huh? Should've known," Anya chuckled to herself. "So, who is it? If you say Giles, I *will* be disgusted. Just because he's all old." Andrew looked down to the floor. "I don't want to tell you," he whined.
Anya thought for a moment. There weren't any other guys besides Giles around here, except him, Spike, and... Oh god. She began laughing extremely loudly. "Xander!? You want *Xander*?!" Andrew turned crimson. "You shouldn't laugh at me. You want him too, if you'd conveniently forgotten," Andrew pointed out. "Want*ed* him. We're done now. And besides, I wouldn't be too sure about Xander. Did you not hear his extremely loud decision that he wanted Willow to 'gay him up'?" Andrew nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. But I'm probably dying anyway, so it doesn't really matter. And don't tell anyone."
Anya shrugged. "Who would I tell anyway? You know, that would really care? Besides maybe Xander himself. But don't worry, your dirty little secret is safe with me." She picked her glass back up again, and took a drink through the straw.
"It's not *dirty*," Andrew shot, "And besides, I'll bet you've got at least one interesting love or even just crush of your own." Anya rolled her eyes. "Well, duh! We all do," she replied.
Andrew's face went from embarrassed and angry to excited and interested. "Ooh, ooh! Who?" he begged. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Andrew pouted. "Tell me!!!" Anya smirked. "Guess."
Andrew sighed in defeat. "Well... Obviously it's got to be someone I know? Ummm..." He tried to think of who it could be. He scanned the room, though he wasn't sure why, seeing as he and Anya were the only ones there. Giles? Spike? No... He looked up at the doorframe leading to the stairs. "Willow?"
"You little... How did you..." she followed her eyes to where he was looking. The red-headed witch stood in the doorframe, grinning. "Very interesting conversation you two have been having," Willow commented, grin never leaving her face. Anya tried to get the guilty look off her own. "Oops. Didn't know you were there..." Willow just laughed and headed to the kitchen with a bag of groceries, patting the slightly embarrassed Anya on the back.
"I thought there was something up with her these days..." Willow muttered to herself, chuckling as she set down the bag and helped Buffy put away the groceries.
