author: Lucinda
rating: pg/pg13
main characters: Warren Worthington, Willow Rosenberg
fifth in the Feathers series
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Marvel Comics X-Men titles.
distribution: WLS, NHA, Bite Me, QPC, Twisting, Paula, Cat, anyone else please ask first.
note: AU post season 5 for Willow, less certain where for Warren. Umm... before Zero Tolerance, and he's not dating Betsy. This occurs the day after Feather Links 5.
Warren looked up as the phone rang, curious just who it was this time, and what crisis was going on. Reluctantly, he picked it up. "Hello?"
:Hey, Warren.: Willow's voice sounded a bit less cheerful than normal. :Mind if I drop in?:
"Of course... Come on over. You're welcome to drop in anytime." He smiled, already feeling better.
:Yeah, well... there's something... I'm going to have to explain it in person. I think I can be there in about twenty minutes, the traffic doesn't seem too bad yet.:
"Good. I'll have some coffee waiting." Warren smiled, and then the worry hit him. Willow was unhappy about something, and they had to talk. Was this... were things ending before they'd even really gone anywhere? Had she decided that he was too dangerous? Too blue? Met someone else?
Stopping, Warren took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "There are hundreds of other things that she could want to talk about. This does not mean that she's breaking up with me. I can handle this."
Which was precisely the time when he realized that his office was a mess. Stacks of reports, his mug from breakfast, the crumpled newspaper, several pens and pencils that he'd been using for the crossword section that the paper had kept hiding from him... "I've got to get this cleaned up."
It felt like only a couple moments later that there was a soft tap at the door. "Would I be interrupting anything?"
"Willow! Please, come in, come in." Warren looked around, pleased that his office looked presentable at least.
She slipped inside his office, shutting the door behind her. She looked... tired, actually. "Hey... Got any more coffee? It's already been a very long day."
"I have coffee, I said that I'd have coffee..." Warren sniffed a bit, almost insulted at the implied lack, then realizing that it was a request to have some, not an idle question of was there coffee at all. Shaking his head, he poured her a cup, adding a dollop of cream for her. "Here. One cream, right?"
"Thanks." She took a sip, her eyes half closed as she swallowed. "This is good."
"So... what's made your day so long already?" He couldn't help but ask.
"I got woke up in the middle of the night because a couple prejudiced goons decided to break into my home intending to kidnap me. Everybody had to go to the police station and answer a lot of questions, sometimes repeatedly, and fill out some papers. Especially since I definitely wanted to press charges." Willow sank to the couch, leaning back carefully, so as not to spill the coffee. "I got home, and found out that somebody is trying to gain illegal access to my records from California. And nobody can replace my windows until next week!"
Warren winced, certain that Scott was somehow behind the search on her records. Had the near kidnapping been related to him? She'd said 'prejudiced goons', after all... "Windows?"
"One of the police officers graciously informed me that I'd have fewer worries about people breaking in if I had the sort of window that only opens from the inside. So, I need to get them replaced, and I can't do that until someone can come in and handle it. I work with the software called Windows, not the ones made out of glass." Sighing, she sipped at the coffee again.
"err... I suppose that makes sense." Warren sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "It's not something that I've really worried much about. Why was someone trying to kidnap you anyhow?"
"Some bunch of nonsense that basically amounts to a group of people that I've never met and have no reason to care for the opinion of doesn't like the idea that I might actually date a mutant. What makes them think they have any right to care who or what I date? If I wanted to date the slime fiend from beyond, it wouldn't be any of their business." Willow was practically glaring, and the air seemed oddly reminiscent of being outside when Storm was calling lightning.
"Willow, if you don't want to worry about more problems like that..." Warren stopped, not quite certain what to say. Willow was nice, and he liked had spending time with her so far. "If this is because I'm a mutant... And aren't I a bit better than some slime fiend from beyond? Cuter? Nicer? Something?"
"As if I care what a bunch of idiots think? As if their whole pseudo nazi propaganda and stupid yellow armbands are going to make me cringe and cower and salute..." Willow put the mug down, her arms crossing over her chest. "There are precisely two people in this world who get a say in whether or not I go out with you. Person number one is ME - Willow Rosenberg. Person number two is you, Warren Worthington. Anyone else who doesn't like it can just go... hang."
The coffee mug that she'd been holding shattered, sending droplets of coffee and sharp fragments all over the couch, the wall, and Willow.
"Ahhh!" Willow leapt away, frantically trying to wipe away the hot coffee, tears rolling down one cheek. Warren wasn't certain if it was from the coffee and shards or from her emotions running rampant.
Grabbing a towel, he tried to help. "You're going to be okay, Willow. Here, let me look at that..."
"Warren?" Her eyes were glimmering with tears, and she pushed his hand back from her cheek, instead turning to lean against his chest. Her arms slid around him in a hug, and she just clung to him, shaking.
He wrapped his arms around her, and folded his wings around them, embracing her. Enjoying the feeling of her in his arms, and the oddly comforting idea that she wasn't going to let any outside forces keep them from finding out what was happening between them. "I'm here, Willow. I'm here for you."
"Can we... can we just pretend for a while that nothing's going to ruin this? That everything will be okay?" She whispered.
"Isn't it?" He murmured, his hand resting on her red hair, enjoying the fact that she smelled like strawberries and vanilla.
"That would certainly be nice, wouldn't it?" She sighed in his arms, still snuggled against him. "But life's never easy. I just... I just want to pretend it could be, for just a few minutes."
Warren just held her, feeling sad that she'd wound up with such a view of life and it's complications. It was even worse that she was right - life wasn't simple, or easy. And things would complicate their relationship, even if his membership of the X-Men never became a problem. For now, she was safe in his arms.
end Feathers 5: In the Arms of an Angel.
rating: pg/pg13
main characters: Warren Worthington, Willow Rosenberg
fifth in the Feathers series
disclaimer: I do not own anyone from Buffy the Vampire Slayer or the Marvel Comics X-Men titles.
distribution: WLS, NHA, Bite Me, QPC, Twisting, Paula, Cat, anyone else please ask first.
note: AU post season 5 for Willow, less certain where for Warren. Umm... before Zero Tolerance, and he's not dating Betsy. This occurs the day after Feather Links 5.
Warren looked up as the phone rang, curious just who it was this time, and what crisis was going on. Reluctantly, he picked it up. "Hello?"
:Hey, Warren.: Willow's voice sounded a bit less cheerful than normal. :Mind if I drop in?:
"Of course... Come on over. You're welcome to drop in anytime." He smiled, already feeling better.
:Yeah, well... there's something... I'm going to have to explain it in person. I think I can be there in about twenty minutes, the traffic doesn't seem too bad yet.:
"Good. I'll have some coffee waiting." Warren smiled, and then the worry hit him. Willow was unhappy about something, and they had to talk. Was this... were things ending before they'd even really gone anywhere? Had she decided that he was too dangerous? Too blue? Met someone else?
Stopping, Warren took a deep breath, and tried to calm himself. "There are hundreds of other things that she could want to talk about. This does not mean that she's breaking up with me. I can handle this."
Which was precisely the time when he realized that his office was a mess. Stacks of reports, his mug from breakfast, the crumpled newspaper, several pens and pencils that he'd been using for the crossword section that the paper had kept hiding from him... "I've got to get this cleaned up."
It felt like only a couple moments later that there was a soft tap at the door. "Would I be interrupting anything?"
"Willow! Please, come in, come in." Warren looked around, pleased that his office looked presentable at least.
She slipped inside his office, shutting the door behind her. She looked... tired, actually. "Hey... Got any more coffee? It's already been a very long day."
"I have coffee, I said that I'd have coffee..." Warren sniffed a bit, almost insulted at the implied lack, then realizing that it was a request to have some, not an idle question of was there coffee at all. Shaking his head, he poured her a cup, adding a dollop of cream for her. "Here. One cream, right?"
"Thanks." She took a sip, her eyes half closed as she swallowed. "This is good."
"So... what's made your day so long already?" He couldn't help but ask.
"I got woke up in the middle of the night because a couple prejudiced goons decided to break into my home intending to kidnap me. Everybody had to go to the police station and answer a lot of questions, sometimes repeatedly, and fill out some papers. Especially since I definitely wanted to press charges." Willow sank to the couch, leaning back carefully, so as not to spill the coffee. "I got home, and found out that somebody is trying to gain illegal access to my records from California. And nobody can replace my windows until next week!"
Warren winced, certain that Scott was somehow behind the search on her records. Had the near kidnapping been related to him? She'd said 'prejudiced goons', after all... "Windows?"
"One of the police officers graciously informed me that I'd have fewer worries about people breaking in if I had the sort of window that only opens from the inside. So, I need to get them replaced, and I can't do that until someone can come in and handle it. I work with the software called Windows, not the ones made out of glass." Sighing, she sipped at the coffee again.
"err... I suppose that makes sense." Warren sighed, and ran his hand through his hair. "It's not something that I've really worried much about. Why was someone trying to kidnap you anyhow?"
"Some bunch of nonsense that basically amounts to a group of people that I've never met and have no reason to care for the opinion of doesn't like the idea that I might actually date a mutant. What makes them think they have any right to care who or what I date? If I wanted to date the slime fiend from beyond, it wouldn't be any of their business." Willow was practically glaring, and the air seemed oddly reminiscent of being outside when Storm was calling lightning.
"Willow, if you don't want to worry about more problems like that..." Warren stopped, not quite certain what to say. Willow was nice, and he liked had spending time with her so far. "If this is because I'm a mutant... And aren't I a bit better than some slime fiend from beyond? Cuter? Nicer? Something?"
"As if I care what a bunch of idiots think? As if their whole pseudo nazi propaganda and stupid yellow armbands are going to make me cringe and cower and salute..." Willow put the mug down, her arms crossing over her chest. "There are precisely two people in this world who get a say in whether or not I go out with you. Person number one is ME - Willow Rosenberg. Person number two is you, Warren Worthington. Anyone else who doesn't like it can just go... hang."
The coffee mug that she'd been holding shattered, sending droplets of coffee and sharp fragments all over the couch, the wall, and Willow.
"Ahhh!" Willow leapt away, frantically trying to wipe away the hot coffee, tears rolling down one cheek. Warren wasn't certain if it was from the coffee and shards or from her emotions running rampant.
Grabbing a towel, he tried to help. "You're going to be okay, Willow. Here, let me look at that..."
"Warren?" Her eyes were glimmering with tears, and she pushed his hand back from her cheek, instead turning to lean against his chest. Her arms slid around him in a hug, and she just clung to him, shaking.
He wrapped his arms around her, and folded his wings around them, embracing her. Enjoying the feeling of her in his arms, and the oddly comforting idea that she wasn't going to let any outside forces keep them from finding out what was happening between them. "I'm here, Willow. I'm here for you."
"Can we... can we just pretend for a while that nothing's going to ruin this? That everything will be okay?" She whispered.
"Isn't it?" He murmured, his hand resting on her red hair, enjoying the fact that she smelled like strawberries and vanilla.
"That would certainly be nice, wouldn't it?" She sighed in his arms, still snuggled against him. "But life's never easy. I just... I just want to pretend it could be, for just a few minutes."
Warren just held her, feeling sad that she'd wound up with such a view of life and it's complications. It was even worse that she was right - life wasn't simple, or easy. And things would complicate their relationship, even if his membership of the X-Men never became a problem. For now, she was safe in his arms.
end Feathers 5: In the Arms of an Angel.
