"Andrew?"
Andrew's knife slipped and almost sliced off his thumb. "Oh, uh, hi, Xander," he said, turning around a little too quickly.
"Hey, watch it," Xander said, eyebrows upswept. "You could end up hurting somebody."
"I'm okay. Um, did you want something?" said Andrew, inwardly quivering with self-abasement - so inarticulate, why couldn't he be articulate and witty like Xander always was? Not that there was anything intimidatingly eloquent of "hey, watch it, you could end up hurting somebody" ... but Xander always knew how to defuse the situation with a joke, he always knew what to say, he was so, so good at knowing what to say. He was just so good ...
Andrew often knew what to say, too, when it came to that. It was just a question of getting up enough courage to say it. And he'd probably never be good like Xander. No matter how much he redeemed himself.
"Yeah," Xander said. "So I understand you like to watch Enterprise?"
Andrew had no idea where this one could possibly go. "Yeah? I mean ... not the height of Trek or anything but ... you know, enjoyable, it's, er, worth watching."
"I thought you know since you're all into Star Trek and stuff you might want to come over to, you know, my place. Chill on the couch, watch some Enterprise. Have a Fresca," Xander said, casually. A little diffidently. "I mean, we've all been a bit tough on you lately and ... I figured you could use some, you know, male bonding time. Mano a mano. That kinda thing."
Andrew could feel his face lighting up as though Xander had flipped a switch. "That'd be great!" he exclaimed. "I'll make us some brownies!" Then his expression fell. "Um, is it okay with the Slayer if I just ... leave?"
Xander grinned a little. "Buffy said I could borrow you for a bit," he said.
"Really?" Andrew said.
"Well. Not borrow exactly, those weren't *precisely* her exact words," Xander admitted, "but ... general gist. Yeah. She said I could borrow you."
"Okay," Andrew said, beaming happily. He wasn't about to let a little of Buffy's negativity get in the way of his being totally enthused about an evening with his new friend (and, if it came to that, idol). "Well, consider me thoroughly on loan."
"Er," Xander said. "All right. Good." He hesitated a little as though not sure what the next step was in this conversation.
"What time is it on?" Andrew asked.
"Wednesdays," Xander said vaguely. "Oh, I've, uh, got some tapes. You know, it's been so busy the last ... jeez, the last century or so, I just set the VCR to tape shows I may at some point want to see."
"You are so smart," Andrew said, beaming. VHS wasn't DVD, but you couldn't have everything.
"Well, I *am* the brains of this operation," Xander repied modestly.
Andrew smiled. "So, um, see you later, then," he said, getting some butter out of the refrigerator. "I'll just ... finish up in the kitchen and stuff. After dinner?"
"Good," Xander said. He gave Andrew the thumbs-up. "Brownies are good. See you later."
He was out of the kitchen, then, leaving the terribly excited Andrew in search of cocoa in the pantry with fumbling fingers.
Andrew's knife slipped and almost sliced off his thumb. "Oh, uh, hi, Xander," he said, turning around a little too quickly.
"Hey, watch it," Xander said, eyebrows upswept. "You could end up hurting somebody."
"I'm okay. Um, did you want something?" said Andrew, inwardly quivering with self-abasement - so inarticulate, why couldn't he be articulate and witty like Xander always was? Not that there was anything intimidatingly eloquent of "hey, watch it, you could end up hurting somebody" ... but Xander always knew how to defuse the situation with a joke, he always knew what to say, he was so, so good at knowing what to say. He was just so good ...
Andrew often knew what to say, too, when it came to that. It was just a question of getting up enough courage to say it. And he'd probably never be good like Xander. No matter how much he redeemed himself.
"Yeah," Xander said. "So I understand you like to watch Enterprise?"
Andrew had no idea where this one could possibly go. "Yeah? I mean ... not the height of Trek or anything but ... you know, enjoyable, it's, er, worth watching."
"I thought you know since you're all into Star Trek and stuff you might want to come over to, you know, my place. Chill on the couch, watch some Enterprise. Have a Fresca," Xander said, casually. A little diffidently. "I mean, we've all been a bit tough on you lately and ... I figured you could use some, you know, male bonding time. Mano a mano. That kinda thing."
Andrew could feel his face lighting up as though Xander had flipped a switch. "That'd be great!" he exclaimed. "I'll make us some brownies!" Then his expression fell. "Um, is it okay with the Slayer if I just ... leave?"
Xander grinned a little. "Buffy said I could borrow you for a bit," he said.
"Really?" Andrew said.
"Well. Not borrow exactly, those weren't *precisely* her exact words," Xander admitted, "but ... general gist. Yeah. She said I could borrow you."
"Okay," Andrew said, beaming happily. He wasn't about to let a little of Buffy's negativity get in the way of his being totally enthused about an evening with his new friend (and, if it came to that, idol). "Well, consider me thoroughly on loan."
"Er," Xander said. "All right. Good." He hesitated a little as though not sure what the next step was in this conversation.
"What time is it on?" Andrew asked.
"Wednesdays," Xander said vaguely. "Oh, I've, uh, got some tapes. You know, it's been so busy the last ... jeez, the last century or so, I just set the VCR to tape shows I may at some point want to see."
"You are so smart," Andrew said, beaming. VHS wasn't DVD, but you couldn't have everything.
"Well, I *am* the brains of this operation," Xander repied modestly.
Andrew smiled. "So, um, see you later, then," he said, getting some butter out of the refrigerator. "I'll just ... finish up in the kitchen and stuff. After dinner?"
"Good," Xander said. He gave Andrew the thumbs-up. "Brownies are good. See you later."
He was out of the kitchen, then, leaving the terribly excited Andrew in search of cocoa in the pantry with fumbling fingers.
