Star Spangled Sports Bra

Buffy x Cordelia

The conversation with Giles could have gone better. Buffy pouted as she left the library. Who was he to decide what she could and couldn't do anyway? Someone that old and stuffy just couldn't possibly understand the delicate intricacies involved in navigating the turmoil of the high school experience. Being a cheerleader was normal, it was safe.

It was close to Cordelia.

Buffy would never admit to it, but it was only after she had seen Cordelia signing her name on the sign up sheet that her previous love for the sport ignited. She managed to wait just long enough for the brunette to disappear around a corner before printing her name next on the sheet.

Truly she could do without the yellow and red uniform, but sacrifices must be made.

Buffy was so lost in her thoughts that she ran straight into Xander. He plastered a goofy grin onto his face and wasn't shy about dragging his eyes along Buffy's new attire. She could understand why though, the colour scheme was garish and hard to drag your eyes from.

"God, Giles is such a buzz kill," she sighed.

"Didn't approve, huh?" Willow asked, sliding out from behind Xander.

Without speaking the three automatically began walking in the direction of the gym. "We haven't seen a vampire in over a week."

The double doors opened to a very colourful sight. The squeak of white trainers on faux wooden floor was enough to set your teeth on edge. Bright blurs of girls flipping from one end of the room to the other. I could totally do that.

"People scoff at things like school spirit," Xander said, almost panting. "But just look at these girls giving their all like this…"

He trailed off in a way that had both Buffy and Willow turning their heads to follow his gaze. A dark haired girl was suspended between two chairs, legs bent in a mild V that appeared to be anything but comfortable. Willow found her head tilting in fascination, but Buffy had already turned her attention back to scanning the room.

"So stretchy," Xander continued, and then he shook his head violently. "Where was I?"

Willow shook her head in a similar manner. "Pretending that seeing scantily clad girls in revealing postures was a spiritual experience."

Where was Cordelia? Buffy was sure that she would be here. Of course, she would be here. She raked her eyes over the collection of girls. There, in the corner, with her hands on her hips was Cordelia. Buffy surprised a smile.

Part of her tried to convince herself that her newfound obsession with the girl was purely a result of her protectiveness of Willow. But a small part, an exceedingly small part, knew that that wasn't the case. Her heart thumped in her chest when their eyes met. Before she could walk over or say something there was a tap at her shoulder.

"-good luck thing for try outs."

A bracelet was shoved in her hands. It was small and silver and overshadowed completely by the fumbling hands attempting to slip it around her wrist. She grasped Xander's fingers gently and pulled them away from the metal. Despite herself Buffy smiled; this was sweet. She turned it in her fingers and then caught sight of the inscription.

"What's this?" Buffy asked, squinting.

"What's that?" Willow yelped.

"Yours… Always…"

Her brow furrowed but before she could register Xander's stammering or puzzle out the gift her focus was taken. Striding towards them from across the gym was Cordelia. No wonder Buffy hadn't seen her before, she'd been looking for Cordelia in yellow and red. Cordelia in a star spangled sports bra was much better.

"Just look at that Amber. Who does she think she is? A Laker girl?"

Before Buffy could reply another girl cleared the floor and shuffled the girls away to the edge of the room. The four of them stood together, Cordelia so close to Buffy that she could almost reach out and touch her. God, what is wrong with me?

Things had been weird since the Bronze. Not that they hadn't been already. You would think that saving a girl from getting her neck ripped out by a large Master vessel would score you some points but no, apparently not. Apparently, all it got you was an association with a biker gang you didn't know existed.

"Do you know Buffy?"

Willow had a friend. "Hi," said the friend.

"Hi," Buffy said back politely.

The first person to begin their audition was 'That Amber'. Cordelia scoffed and turned her back but for some reason Buffy couldn't tare her eyes away. Something was wrong, very wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.

Then the girl burst into flames.

…

Day two of try outs was less dramatic, if you didn't ask Cordelia. Willow's friend, Amy, had ended her cartwheel by tripping into Cordelia and sending them both sprawling to the floor. Buffy had been there in a second to help the brunette to her feet, but it was an unnecessary gesture. Cordelia was already up and demanding that Amy be beheaded.

The locker rooms were more interesting. Buffy was lingering at her locker, waiting for Cordelia. Was it stalking at this point? No. Of course not. Maybe. She was just considering leaving and forgetting all about this ridiculous pursuit when the aggressive slam of a locker door got her attention.

"I have a dream," Cordelia snarled. "It's me on the cheerleading squad, adored by every varsity male as far as the eye can see. We have to achieve out dreams, Amy. Otherwise we wither and die."

"Look," Amy's voice was quivering. "I'm sorry…"

Another slam of a fist against metal. "Shush," she hissed. "If your supreme klutziness out there today takes me out of the running, you're going to be so very…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Before Buffy even realised that she had moved she was standing behind Amy. Cordelia's eyes flicked up and narrowed.

"You did just fine Amy," Buffy said evenly. "Why don't you go find Willow?"

Amy didn't wait to scurry away.

"Just what…" Cordelia began, loud and indignant.

Buffy slammed her own fist into the locker. This time it left a small dent. Suddenly there was this anger inside of her. Who did this girl think she was? Strolling around and treating people like such trash just because she could.

"It was an accident," Buffy said. "No need to threaten the girl."

Cordelia's narrow eyes narrowed even further. There was a fire in them, and a rosy colour creeping up her cheeks. Buffy was torn between slapping or caressing the skin there. "Who do you think you are you freak?!"

"What did you call me?"

"A freak! God Buffy, first you hand out with those certified losers and then you and your biker friends trash the only cool place in town!" She snapped. "And now you're what… getting all up in my face over a nobody wannabe fail-leader?"

Fail leader, Buffy hid a smirk. Her rant was both endearing and irritating in equal measures. The conflicting feelings inside of Buffy was making her nauseous. She took a step forward and took a small amount of pleasure from the way Cordelia shrunk back.

"Maybe I just feel like you should put a zip on that pretty mouth," Buffy said. Then her jaw snapped shut with an audible click. I did not just say that. But her eyes had landed on Cordelia's mouth anyway.

The sentence had stumped the brunette too. A miracle in of itself. Cordelia swallowed, opened her mouth as though to speak and then closed it again. Before Buffy could say another word, the girl had slipped past her and disappeared out of the locker room.

Embarrassment rooted Buffy to the spot. She was stuck there, cooling her red hot face against the cool metal lockers for several minutes before she felt like her legs would support her to her next class.

…

Later Buffy is startled from her thought spiral once again by Xander, this time by placing one hand on each of her shoulders. "Buffy! Would you like to, uh…"

She stopped listening. Over his shoulder she could see Cordelia. She looked lost, had she caused that? It seemed unlikely. How could Buffy cause enough of a ripple in Cordelia's life to have her wandering around like that? The brunette brushed her hand against a locker until it found the locking mechanism. She twisted it but wasn't looking at it.

"Is that even Cordelia's locker?" she asked, cutting Xander off mid-sentence.

"I don't know," Xander stammered. "What I'm saying is…" "Xander, I have to… we can talk later. That's okay isn't it?"

She doesn't wait for him to reply. Cordelia had begun to stumble down the corridor towards the front doors of the school. She followed at a distance until she watched her get into the car used for drivers ed.

For a moment nothing happened. Then the car spun out of control. Buffy's heart dropped into her stomach as she watched the vehicle knock over cones and whip around corners in reverse. Suddenly it stopped dead. Two slow seconds. The car shot forward. Buffy shot forward.

She raced after the car as it crashed through the school fence. It was narrowly missed by another car and then rapidly emptied as the teacher and other students piled out. Cordelia was slower to exit. Dazed she stared upwards and then began to stumble across the road.

Buffy pumped her legs faster, desperate to get to Cordelia before the delivery van that was speeding directly for her. It showed no sign of stopping. Cordelia turned and screamed.

In two quick movements Buffy cleared the drivers ed car and rugby tackled Cordelia out of the way of the van.

The pair rolled together for several feet before jerking to a halt.

"Oh my God," Buffy panted, untangling her legs from the brunette. "Cordelia! Are you okay?"

"I… I can't see anything."

"It's okay… it's…" Buffy's racing heart stopped. The space where Cordelia's eyes should have been was white. Just white.

…

The hospital brought back feelings of insects crawling on Buffy's skin. She wasn't even sure what she was doing here. Everything had gone back to normal. The witch had been stopped; her spells undone. So why was she here?

The snotty receptionist had told her what room Cordelia's was after only ten minutes of arguing. It didn't take long to get there. All the white hallways looked the same, but once Buffy was within fifty feet of Cordelia's room you could get there just by sound.

She was demanding to leave. Insisting that she was feeling much better, and look how well I can see now, and this hospital gown is just so unflattering.

Buffy lurked just a few feet from the door until she was sure the room was empty. Then she slipped inside. Cordelia was sat up in bed, flicking through a fashion magazine.

"Hey," Buffy said cautiously.

Cordelia jumped. "Buffy, God, lurk much."

A smile pulled at the corners of Buffy's mouth. "You can see."

There was puzzlement on Cordelia's face. She tilted her head at the blonde. "Yes," she said slowly. "I hear I have you to thank for that."

At Cordelia's beckoning Buffy took a few steps closer to the bed until she was stood at the end of it. Cordelia returned her smile, and Buffy's heart began to thump against her rib cage again.