"This seat taken?"
Dawn spun to meet the sudden appearance of a very masculine face, cheeks dimpling with delight when she met electric blue eyes. "Phoenix! Hey!" she exclaimed, brushing at a stray lock of auburn hair. Giddily, she shifted sideways a few inches, wordlessly welcoming him to the seat he'd requested. "How have you been…? I haven't seen you around lately," she smiled.
"I know… Coach Rickler's been riding the team all week. Says we're not conditioned enough to be good football players, so we've had to practise during lunch and after school," he rolled his eyes, teeth sinking into a slice of cafeteria pizza.
"Aren't you guys undefeated though?" Dawn gave a small laugh, obviously finding the team's schedule absurd as well.
Phoenix nodded in response, swallowing back his first mouthful of gooey goodness. "We're killing the rest of the district. So far, we've won every game by at least three touchdowns. Rickler's just crazy… That's the only explanation I can come up with," he said, eyebrow cocked above his quirked smile.
Able to offer no personally oriented comments to her friend's statement, Dawn was helpless to do anything more than laugh, muttering something partially meaningful as well.
The two sat in silence for a few moments, Dawn nibbling her crackers, Phoenix devouring his pizza. Finally though, the male half spoke up. "So did you and your sister have fun the other night?" he laughed. "I meant to ask you sooner but…" the teen shrugged, obviously referring to his insane football schedule.
"No, no, it's okay. I understand," Dawn waved her hand, dismissing Phoenix's apology. "And yes, there was definitely a fun factor," her smile was shy yet suggestive, her growing emotion for the boy forcing its way to the surface.
"Yeah? I mean, I had a good time, too… I'd like to do it again sometime if Coach ever lets the team out of his sight for more than two hours," Phoenix chuckled at the latter half of his statement, though the entire thing was spoken with sincerity.
"Me too," Dawn nodded, lengthened hair rippling with the movement as her eyes wandered casually over his features. God, she wanted to just devour him… Those sculpted cheeks and pumped arms and his candy-like lips and…
"Dakota really thought your sister was cool," Phoenix interrupted Dawn's thought process, though her ears sang when penetrated by his voice.
"Huh? Oh…" she smiled, snapping from the daze. "Yeah, Buffy really liked him too," the teen practically lied through her teeth, having no honest idea whether her sister was fond of Dakota or not. But the way those icy blue eyes were cutting through her… how could she not lie?
"Really?" he responded half-interestedly, head cocking to the side.
"Yeah," Dawn insisted, the wide spread of her lips not faltering as she brushed a few continuously errant locks of chocolate behind her hears.
"Cool! 'Cuz me and Dakota were thinking of hitting The Bronze tonight… Why don't you and your sister come, too?" he asked hopefully, the charm in his expressions obviously kicking up a few degrees.
Dawn successfully controlled the sudden impulse to sputter in shocked giddiness, her mouth hanging open as she attempted to find a not-so-idiotic way in which to respond. "Um, yeah, I'd… We'd love to!" she laughed. "A-And I'm pretty sure my sister usually gets Tuesday nights off, too" Dawn let the notion go verbally unfinished.
"But you'll be there no matter what?" Phoenix's eyebrows lifted sceptically, a conspiring grin crossing his features.
"As long as my sister has no objections," she gave a little eye-roll, quickly following it with another airy laugh.
"Good," Phoenix glanced at his watch then, shoving the last chunk of pizza into his mouth. Reading the time, his face became contorted with horrified shock. "Listen, I gotta jet," he said almost frantically, swallowing down the morsel of food. "Bio project due next period that I kinda forgot to finish last night," he chuckled. "But, uh… My brother gets off work usually around six or so… How 'bout we pick you up at around eight tonight?"
"That's great!" she said cheerfully. "At least then my sister won't be able to use the 'you have to finish all your homework' excuse," Dawn grinned, imitating her sister as being tyrannically loyal to one's after-school academic obligations.
Phoenix laughed aloud at that, head lolling backward. "So you're saying I should be thankful that when Coach Rickler gets on my case, he's at least making me do something I like?" he asked, eyebrow raised above a lop-sided grin.
"Trust me," Dawn said with an affirmative nod. "My sister?" her expression showed one of reminiscent displeasure. "Definitely the most determined, won't-take-no-for-an-answer person alive" her eyes rolled again. "She could probably take Coach Rickler down without even batting an eye," she laughed. "Have him crying like a baby in no time."
"Really?" it was hard to tell if Phoenix's expression was one of fear or astonishment. Perhaps a mix of both.
"Oh yeah. Anytime, anywhere" Dawn muttered, blue eyes turning to the sky for the umpteenth time.
"Well in that case, maybe we should introduce them," he suggested brightly. "Maybe then I won't have to leave football practise feeling like my body's been pumped full of Novocaine," he grinned suggestively, flawless features apparently incapable of contorting into anything short of drop-dead gorgeous.
Dawn laughed at that, though her mind quickly steered itself down a tantalizing road… If Phoenix practised as much as he claimed to, that had to mean there was some definite muscle hiding under his shirt, right? Tactfully, she somehow managed to resist licking her lips in that moment, an automatic response bouncing past her lips. "Yeah, I've always wondered if watching a grown man cry is as funny in real life as it is in the movies," she laughed again, but in spite of it her mind was screaming lame, lame, lame!
Phoenix chuckled politely, though he could see the obvious embarrassment glimmering just behind Dawn's eyes. "Well… I should probably get going," he said, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he stood up. "See you at eight?" the boy gave her a sideways, reassuring grin to prove that despite her comment, he thought no less of her.
"Can't wait," she said almost dreamily, deciding to use simple phrases in light of her most recent embarrassment.
"Later Dawn," Phoenix said before turning around, backpack slung over his shoulder.
Dawn was helpless to do anything but watch as his heavenly figure departed. By the time he finally fell from her sight, the teen felt as if butterflies were teasing every nerve in her body. Exactly one thought was passing through her giddy, teenaged consciousness: I'm in love…
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"Willow!" Buffy exclaimed in utter surprise, halting mid-step as she stood on the threshold of her front entrance and living room.
"Hey Buffy," the witch responded shyly, an echo of her high school persona.
"You're…" the Slayer muttered dumbly, suddenly under the impression that she was hallucinating.
"Awake, dressed, and in the living room?" Willow laughed good-naturedly, though her voice maintained a pianissimo texture. "I know… I don't know what came over me," one hand removed itself from her thigh as she shrugged, only to fall back seconds later.
"Well, this is great!" Buffy exclaimed, though the volume of her voice was controlled. "You sure you're feeling up to it though? I mean, you're down here because you want to be, right?" her eyebrows lifted above softly contorted features, hoping her friend would confess if her reason for being downstairs was some form of peer pressure.
"No, don't worry. Totally free-willed," she insisted. "I mean, the pain is still here, don't worry about that," Willow paused, torturous thoughts immediately conjured in her mind, although unwillingly. "I just… Something inside of me said that I'm never going to get through it if I just sit upstairs all day," the Wicca sighed, making unsuccessful attempts at holding her gaze with Buffy's. "Dunno if it'll last long, but I'm gonna make my best attempt," she smiled timidly once more.
"I-Is there anything you wanna talk about?" Buffy said helpfully, having sat down on the coffee table in front of Willow at some point.
"Nothing you haven't heard already," the redhead shrugged, eyes constantly roaming between different targets.
"You sure?" the Slayer pressed gently, obviously open to hearing Willow's turmoil even if the topic was one they'd spoken of umpteen times before.
"Yeah" this time she had no problem with making eye contact, her shy smile reassuring now. "Actually, now that I think of it, maybe I'll just go sit out back for a little while. Get some fresh air," she shrugged.
"Okay…" the Slayer smiled supportively. "Well, if you do wanna talk, you know where I'll be," Buffy breathed in then, and her lips curled in disgust as she got a whiff of Doublemeat grime. "Ugh… That is, after I finish sterilizing myself," she shuddered. "I'm shower-bound."
Willow gave a soft laugh at that, suddenly thankful that Buffy hadn't embraced her in any way, shape, or form just yet.
Buffy stood up, making a mental note to disinfect the spot where she'd been sitting later on. Looking around, the Slayer suddenly noticed the lack of her sister's presence. "Is Dawn home?" she inquired, head tilted as she frowned slightly.
"Uh, yeah," Willow frowned, attempting to remember where she'd last seen the teen. "I think she's upstairs doing her homework," she said, not totally confident with her answer.
"Okay, cool. Just tell her that I…" Buffy stopped mid-sentence, the smile she'd worn instantly fading. "Wait. Did you say that she's doing her homework?"
Willow, suddenly intimidated, shrunk into the couch's side. "I think so," she said, unsure of what to expect from the Slayer.
"Willingly?" Buffy's eyebrows set a new world record for height achievement, the disbelief evident in her voice.
Again, Willow nodded, a look of apprehensive fright sprawled across her petite visage.
Simply put, the Slayer then turned and ran. In a timeframe that would have left the Man of Steel wallowing in shame, she had ascended the staircase and landed before Dawn's bedroom door. Hastily twisting the brass knob, she tumbled in, chest heaving slightly from her sudden burst of locomotion. "All right," she panted. "Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?" Buffy sucked back a gallon of air as she squarely faced the supposed intruder.
Dawn was dumbfounded. Lying on her bed, the teen simply watched her sister's extraordinary show, one eyebrow cocked throughout the display. "Huh?" one corner of her top lip curled up in utter confusion, the single syllable muttered for lack of a better question.
Scanning her sister's immediate surroundings, Buffy discovered a math book and open binder, as well as a pen that was wedged between Dawn's fingers. "You're… Doing your homework," she said bluntly, obviously shocked.
"Uh huh…" Dawn replied slowly, her nod equally as languid. Currently, she was giving her sister the 'what the Hell are you on?' look, purposely oblivious to the reason for her sister's amazement.
"You never do your homework," Buffy motioned to her sister's books with a flat, upturned palm.
"Yes I do!" the brunette quickly retorted, obviously wounded by such words.
"Well, not without me telling you to do it like a thousand times nightly," the Slayer said, rolling her eyes at such displays of emotional injury. As Dawn visibly struggled for some groundbreaking excuse to justify her spontaneous change in after-school priorities, realisation practically knocked Buffy from where she was standing. Crossing her arms, she straightened, lips pursing a moment before she chose to speak. "What do you want?" the Slayer forced her voice to sound as intimidating as possible, requiring such a tone to overpower the ridiculous appearance of her burger-flipping uniform.
Dawn looked up, emerging from her thought-processing state. "What?" she asked, giving her sister another puzzled look.
"Come on," Buffy almost smirked. "I used to be a teenager too, remember? Which, by the way, wasn't that long ago," she reminded her sister. "The only time that I'd ever willingly do my homework is if I wanted something from mom. So give up the act… What. Do. You. Want?" Buffy asked shortly, her expression telling Dawn that there was no way she could bullshit her way out of this one.
Heaving a deep sigh, the teenager tossed her pen aside, pulling up into a kneeling position. "Well, Phoenix and his brother are going to The Bronze tonight, and they wanted to know if I… if we wanted to go," Dawn quickly added the fact that her sister had been invited as well, hoping to use it as ammunition.
"Phoenix…?" Buffy mentally attempted to place the name to a face. "The guy who was over here a couple of nights ago?"
"Yeah. A-And like I said, his brother Dakota will be there, too," she said, face illuminated in a childlike manner.
Dawn sat silently for a moment, fiddling with the seams on her pants while Buffy appeared to be contemplating her request. When silence drifted between either sister for more than a minute though, the brunette could endure such suspense no longer. "So… Can I go?" she asked meekly, her gaze of an equal nature as her sibling caught it.
Buffy seemed to roll the idea over in her head one more time, letting out a deep but muted sigh before answering. "If all your homework is done," she said firmly. "I don't see why not," the Slayer shrugged, a small smile having crept upon her features.
"Ee!" Dawn squealed, her grin now spread to an impossible width. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she bubbled, having been intent on giving her sister a hug until the scent of grease promptly repelled her. Stopping dead in her tracks, she had to struggle to stop a look of revulsion from overtaking her appreciative smile.
"Oh God, can you smell it too?" Buffy asked, suddenly horrified.
"Uhm… Uh-huh," Dawn said reluctantly, not wanting to further wound her sister's dignity.
"All right. That's it! I'm having a shower," the Slayer pouted, looking down at her striped uniform in disgusted shame. Not even wanting to see what kind of pitiful gaze her sister was willing to offer, Buffy chose that exact instant to make a mad dash for the bathroom.
"Oh, they're picking us up at eight by the way!" Dawn yelled after her, though seconds later she had flopped down onto the mattress, face composed of pure bliss.
Buffy on the other hand was leaning against the sturdy form of her bathroom door, having slammed it shut behind her. Silence clung to her almost as infectiously as that blood-curdling stench of grease, and through it, one terrifying realisation was catapulted toward her. Dawn had said that 'they're picking us up'… at eight o'clock.
Not good, she thought, eyes going wide in shock. Buffy had quite obviously just been invited on what was practically an all-out date at the hands of her sister, and she hadn't even protested when she'd had the chance. Knowing Dawn, if she backed out now the teen would only take it personally, or at least warp it so that Buffy would get forced into going anyway.
Luckily, in that same moment the Slayer's overactive brain was able to come up with a positive notion through such sudden dreariness. At least I'll be able to keep an eye on Dawn… she thought, wondering if her voice would have sounded optimistic should the words have been spoken verbally.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Dawn with Phoenix or anything, it was just that… Well, okay, so maybe she didn't completely trust her little sister, but she had good reason. After all, high school relationships… make that all relationships… had a history of falling into the 'complete and utter tragedy' category amongst Summers women.
Therefore, as a big sister, one whose experience in the field of disastrous relationships was far more than impressive, it was practically her duty to go along with Dawn. That, and it was obviously the only truly legitimate reason she had to not bail on this 'date'.
With a sigh that was not totally sombre in light of her newest decision, Buffy stripped down to nothing, having adjusted the shower's water temperature before doing so. Her first desire was to toss the hideous orange garment into the trash, but she obligingly added it to the laundry basket. Climbing into the shower, Buffy marvelled at how therapeutic the sensation of hot water beads could be. Every tense muscle melted beneath its soothing pressure, her stress sinking down the drain as she washed away suds of soap.
Although it was mostly due to the tranquilizing effect of her shower, by the time she finished, Buffy had what was at the very least an optimistic outlook on her impending night at the Bronze. She'd decided that maybe the prospect of spending an evening with a nice, normal guy wasn't so apocalyptic, or even hopeless in terms of building a possible relationship. After all, it wasn't as if this attempt could be marred by the fact that she was no longer with the love of her life.
(Author's Note: It's aaaalllll about the feedback, people. Honestly, the nature of any review you might have doesn't bother me; good, bad, constructive criticism… I wanna hear it all, lol. Cuz hey, if you think this is a crappy story/my technique is really starting to suck, moreso than usual that is, then I'm never gonna know unless you tell me! So yeah, thanks for continuing to read my fictions, hope you're enjoying them!)