TITLE: Burgandy

AUTHOR: Ben Is Glory

RATING: PG-13

PAIRING: B/S

DISCLAIMER: Joss, CoRo.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is a timely manner, right? Well kiddies, stuff's winding down. I think there's gonna be two slash three more chapters, NOT counting my interlude I'm writing. Not much to say. Maybe there's one line that belongs to "As You Were." Probably, yeah.

FEEDBACK: My life has few joys. This is a big one. Indulge me?

***

Buffy's stomach was heavy as she trudged into class Saturday morning. One clear thought rang out in her mind: she didn't call Will. He told her to call, and she didn't. Now she would give anything to be anywhere else but the third-row-fifth-seat-from-the-left that she currently was expected to occupy. If things had been different, she would have cut Writing. Right now, that was not an option, so she settled for keeping her head down and her mouth shut.

Luckily, Giles had mentioned, "William is a tad detained and will be joining us anon." She let herself smile at her professor's ability to make everything sound unbelievably stuffy and British before focusing her attention on class.

Just as was foretold, Will arrived twenty minutes late. Buffy peeked up from her notebook to get in one good glance of her boyfriend. God, he looks like hell. she thought. His hair was all over the place, a far cry from its normal slicked-back 'do. His clothes were wrinkled, like he had slept in them all night and forgot to get dressed this morning. His eyes were bloodshot. She could've sworn he was hung over.

The young man scanned the room looking for her, and when his eyes were dangerously close to making contact with hers, she quickly turned away. Buffy pulled up the hood on her sweatshirt and stared down at her notes. This is going to be a long class.

***

Noon rolled around, and Buffy was anxious to fly out the door and not look back. She waited for next week's assignment and grabbed her bag. Her attempt to flee came to an abrupt halt when Will appeared directly in front of her path of travel.

"Buffy, hey," he said putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Hi, Will," squeaked his girlfriend. Buffy looked up into his face to see how his condition was holding up. If she didn't know him, she'd think he was scared.

"Have lunch with me, pet?" She noticed he sounded a bit desperate, like he was dying to be with her.

Refusing to let herself give in, she told him, "I can't. I have too much work. I'll call you later. Promise." Her words were quick and perhaps a bit calculated.

Will knew she was lying but couldn't bring himself to say anything. He was still clinging to a shred of hope. A tiny nod and an "Okay." Brushing a soft kiss to her lips, he moved to let her leave.

She squeezed his hand before walking out the door.

***

A week had passed, and Buffy had conveniently managed to catch up in most, if not all, of her classes while coming in minimal, if not zero, contact with Will. It was driving him insane.

Walking across campus to Stevenson Hall, nerves began to set in. What's with the butterflies, you ponce? Will asked himself. Not wanting to admit that something was coming, he pushed everything to the back of his mind.

Will knew that Buffy usually spent her Friday afternoons outside around the dorm, so he wasn't surprised when he found her and Willow sitting on the tall wall by the stoop of the building. Stopping directly underneath the pair, he tipped his head back to see up to them.

The redhead was the first to spot him. "Hi there, Will," she greeted and gave him a nervous smile.

He held up a hand to wave before stating, "I need to speak with Buffy."

"Sure. No problem." Willow carefully lowered herself down, Will trying to help her. "I think I better find Oz, anyway. He's got a gig tonight with the band, and you know how nervous he, well, rarely ever is," she babbled while struggling to leave as fast as possible.

Will grinned at the innocence Willow can't help but radiate and turned back to the remaining girl on the wall. With the stealth of a cat, he climbed up to join her. "So…"

"So," Buffy repeated, holding up her finger to chew at a nail.

"Love, ever since you've been back, you're…" He searched for the right word. "You're, different. And now you're avoiding me, and I can't help wonder why."

"I know," she squeaked, her voice as small as a drop of rain. Taking a deep breath and steadying her voice, but refusing to look at him, she continued, "And it's not fair. It's not fair to you. I can't be what you want right now."

Taken aback, Will fish mouthed for a minute. "What… what are you saying?"

"This, us, it's bad, and I don't want to do that to you. It's killing me." Holding her head up, she saw tears in his eyes that matched the ones in hers. "I'm sorry, William." She hopped off the wall and ran to her room.

***

Will waited a few days before making his move. Mostly it was waiting in the form of getting smashed, but he called it waiting nonetheless. Putting it off until he was sure Buffy was in class, he called over to her room.

"Hello?" Willow answered in her sing-song voice.

"'S me, Red."

"Will, hi. How are you?" He thought he detected sincerity in her voice.

"Peachy bloody keen," he replied sarcastically.

"I'm so sorry. Everything that she put you through…" Willow had gotten the entire story when she came home later that day. She knew what Buffy was feeling but at the same time was panged with immense sympathy for Will.

"Has she said anything?" His voice was strained, and she could tell he was hurting. Bad.

"Not lately. She's been pretty quiet. Talking to her sister a lot, making sure everything's going all right."

"Dawn," was all he said.

There was an awkward pause, and Willow said, "She'll come around, you know. She'll never admit it, but she will. And I bet you'll be there for her when she does."

"Tell her that for me."

"I will," she promised.

He moved to hang up the phone when he heard her say something.

"Oh, and Will?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't give up hope."

"I won't, Red. I won't."

-TBC-

***

A/n: Don't give up hope! And review? Rant to me about anything, everything, and give Will a hug, yeah? :)