Buffy’s closet seems to have exploded all over her bed.
She stares at the empty cavern where all her clothes used to be, before throwing her hands up in the air with a sigh. “Why do I have nothing to wear?”
Somewhere in the house, Faith laughs. “If you’re really put out, I’m sure I have something you can borrow, B.”
Buffy wrinkles her nose before shaking her head. “No offense, but anything you have that will fit me might give him the wrong idea.”
Faith’s curious expression peers around the doorframe. “It’s a date. You should be all about giving him the wrong idea.”
Buffy tips her head to the side, before shaking her head. “I don’t want totally wrong ideas. I want … little sprinklings of possibly wrong ideas.” She picks up one of the already rejected dresses and holds it up to her frame in the mirror. “Just enough wrong ideas to keep things interesting, but not so much that I’m giving my answer away before he even asks the question.”
“You make this way too complicated.” Faith shakes her head. “He’s hot. He gets you hot. In this town, vampires may kill either of you tomorrow, so why waste time?”
Buffy can’t say that Faith doesn’t have a valid point—mostly with the last part. But she can’t help but feel as though she needs to take things with Matt a little more slowly than she has in the past. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone, let alone a human. I want to take things a little slow. Who knows, maybe Matt is a take things slow kind of guy?”
“He’s a teenage boy. None of them are taking things slow kinds of guys,” Faith points out bluntly, before moving over to the pile of clothes on the bed and shuffling through until she pulls up a cute blue sundress. “This one. It shows enough leg to be tempting, and because I know you, it matches his eyes.” She says the last bit in a tone intended to mock her.
Buffy, predictably, snatches it forward and turns to study it in the mirror. “It does! You are a genius.”
“You make me want to puke,” Faith teases, before backing away from the bedroom door. “Now get dressed before I wind up going on your date instead.”
What follows is a whirlwind of showering, pressed powder and hairspray, and Buffy’s putting the finishing touches on her makeup when a knock sounds on the door. A few minutes later, the door opens. “Hey, Matt,” Faith teases. “Those for me?”
“Uh—”
“I’m kidding. She’ll be down in a minute.”
Buffy delivers, sliding on her shoes and coming down the stairs to see Matt in a nice shirt and jeans with a bouquet in hand—nothing too expensive, but enough to be sweet. The smile stretches across her face as she makes her way closer. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he smiles. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” She makes her way to the door and glances back to Faith. “Tell Kendra I won’t be late.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Buffy rolls her eyes, before hopping into the passenger side of Matt’s truck, and glancing over to him with a sigh. “I’m sorry about her.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Damon’s been making comments since you let him out of the cage. How did you get him not to kill you, anyway?”
“Trade secret. And I don’t think he would appreciate me sharing.”
“Fair enough. But that’s enough of Damon for one evening.” He puts the truck into gear and pulls out of the long driveway that leads to the Slayer house. “I was thinking food, and then I have a surprise.”
“Oooh. I love surprises.” At least the ones that don’t involve someone trying to kill her. “Let’s do it.”
* * * * *
The Grille is a little crowded, but that’s not all that unusual for a Friday night, and the two of them grab a booth and some burgers as they sit and talk. Buffy is doing her best to deliver her usual bubbly despite her nerves, despite how much she and Matt already know about each other. There’s something about a first date that always feels a little but awkward, but endearingly so. No matter how well you know each other, you’re transitioning from one thing to another.
Buffy can’t help but hope this transition goes well.
They eventually move over to a pool table, Buffy doing her best to keep herself in the moment, but she can’t help but notice the eyes on them as they move through the room. She glances in its direction, holding the gaze of the dark-haired teenager at a high-top, and then gently nudges her date.
“Not to be Paranoid Girl, but I think that guy is watching us?”
Matt glances up, following her eyeline, before rolling his eyes. “Dude. Stop creeping on my date.”
Buffy blinks, confused, but the guy’s intense look softens to something of a self-satisfied smirk. He gets up and makes his way closer. “What? You know the deal with new people in town.”
Matt shakes his head, before gesturing back to his apparent friend. “This is Tyler. Tyler, this is Buffy.”
“Oh! The best friend.” The hybrid is what her brain fills in the blanks with next, but she’s quick enough not to say it out loud. “Nice to put a face to a name.”
“You too. Matt’s only been talking about you non-stop.” There’s something about Tyler’s effortless charm that feels a little off. Like maybe he wasn’t supposed to get caught. But it’s too late now, so Buffy just brushes it off to focus on the moment she’s in.
She’s not Slayer Buffy right now. She’s On-a-Date Buffy now is not the time to get squirrely about said date’s best friend.
“What can I say? I’m an interesting girl.”
“So you are.” His eyes linger a little too long before he nods. “Anyway. I’m heading out to meet up with Caroline. But I’ll see you two around.”
They both watch him go, and she can see a furrow in Matt’s brow, almost as though something isn’t quite right with his best friend. But eventually, he shakes it off and turns back to her. “You wanna get out of here?”
“Sure do.” She flashes him a grin. “You still owe me a surprise.”
“I do, don’t I? And I am a man of my word.” He offers her his arm, and she grins as she takes it, letting him lead her out of the Grille.
* * * * *
The Falls at night are really something else.
She’s seen them during the day. Kendra sends them on patrols around here because some of the local color likes to use the woods to dump bodies but tonight, on a date, watching the moonlight sparkle over the rush of falling water, she can’t help but have her first instinct come out of her mouth.
“Oh, wow.”
They’re still in the cab of his truck, keeping out the chill of the fall air, and she smiles as she watches the sparkles dance.
“You can really see why this town earned its name.”
“The Falls are the Falls for a reason,” Matt nods. “It’s not often that I meet someone I can really impress with them, though.”
“Oh, no?” Buffy laughs. “I guess when a girl’s lived here her whole life, they become old news.”
“A little. It’s less romantic when you just jump right to the making out.”
“Oh-ho. So this is a prime make out spot. I see how it is.” She doesn’t sound put out, though. If anything, she’s leaning closer.
“Can’t blame a guy for shooting his shot, can you?”
Matt’s sly smile has a way of making her stomach do flip-flops, and she tries not to lean in too hard. Instead, she just curls her hand around his collar, her lips a hair’s breath from his.
“Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is.”
* * * * *
By the time Matt gets her back to the Slayer house, it is late. Later than she implied, she would be home, but she doesn’t think anyone is going to judge her. Kendra’s probably been out late patrolling, anyway.
He pulls up to the head of the driveway and she pats his arm. “You can drop me off here.”
“Are you sure? I can take you to the door.”
“I appreciate the gentlemanly attention, but if you come to the door, Faith’s just going to rag you even harder, and I’m trying to save you some trouble.”
He laughs before nodding. “Alright, deal.” He leans in to kiss her one last time before pulling back with a nod. “Talk to you later?”
She nods. “Yeah, I’ll text you.” She then hops out of the truck and starts making her way down the driveway.
Buffy listens to the rumble as Matt’s car drives off, and then there’s nothing but the silence of the woods. Crickets chirping, the occasional wild animal rassling around in the woods nearby—nothing out of the ordinary until she hears the snap of a twig behind her.
She whirls around, nerves on edge, and blinks when the face standing behind her is familiar.
“Tyler?”
“Hey, Buffy.” The energy he’s giving is off, just like it was at the Grille. He doesn’t want to be here, yet he’s here all the same, which has Buffy tensing, watching for what comes next. “For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about this.”
He moves so quickly; she doesn’t realize she’s been hit until everything goes dark.
so let's face it, you had me at hello | buffyverse/tvdverse | 1,619
Buffy’s closet seems to have exploded all over her bed.
She stares at the empty cavern where all her clothes used to be, before throwing her hands up in the air with a sigh. “Why do I have nothing to wear?”
Somewhere in the house, Faith laughs. “If you’re really put out, I’m sure I have something you can borrow, B.”
Buffy wrinkles her nose before shaking her head. “No offense, but anything you have that will fit me might give him the wrong idea.”
Faith’s curious expression peers around the doorframe. “It’s a date. You should be all about giving him the wrong idea.”
Buffy tips her head to the side, before shaking her head. “I don’t want totally wrong ideas. I want … little sprinklings of possibly wrong ideas.” She picks up one of the already rejected dresses and holds it up to her frame in the mirror. “Just enough wrong ideas to keep things interesting, but not so much that I’m giving my answer away before he even asks the question.”
“You make this way too complicated.” Faith shakes her head. “He’s hot. He gets you hot. In this town, vampires may kill either of you tomorrow, so why waste time?”
Buffy can’t say that Faith doesn’t have a valid point—mostly with the last part. But she can’t help but feel as though she needs to take things with Matt a little more slowly than she has in the past. “It’s been a while since I’ve been with anyone, let alone a human. I want to take things a little slow. Who knows, maybe Matt is a take things slow kind of guy?”
“He’s a teenage boy. None of them are taking things slow kinds of guys,” Faith points out bluntly, before moving over to the pile of clothes on the bed and shuffling through until she pulls up a cute blue sundress. “This one. It shows enough leg to be tempting, and because I know you, it matches his eyes.” She says the last bit in a tone intended to mock her.
Buffy, predictably, snatches it forward and turns to study it in the mirror. “It does! You are a genius.”
“You make me want to puke,” Faith teases, before backing away from the bedroom door. “Now get dressed before I wind up going on your date instead.”
What follows is a whirlwind of showering, pressed powder and hairspray, and Buffy’s putting the finishing touches on her makeup when a knock sounds on the door. A few minutes later, the door opens. “Hey, Matt,” Faith teases. “Those for me?”
“Uh—”
“I’m kidding. She’ll be down in a minute.”
Buffy delivers, sliding on her shoes and coming down the stairs to see Matt in a nice shirt and jeans with a bouquet in hand—nothing too expensive, but enough to be sweet. The smile stretches across her face as she makes her way closer. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he smiles. “You ready?”
“Yeah.” She makes her way to the door and glances back to Faith. “Tell Kendra I won’t be late.”
“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
Buffy rolls her eyes, before hopping into the passenger side of Matt’s truck, and glancing over to him with a sigh. “I’m sorry about her.”
He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it. Damon’s been making comments since you let him out of the cage. How did you get him not to kill you, anyway?”
“Trade secret. And I don’t think he would appreciate me sharing.”
“Fair enough. But that’s enough of Damon for one evening.” He puts the truck into gear and pulls out of the long driveway that leads to the Slayer house. “I was thinking food, and then I have a surprise.”
“Oooh. I love surprises.” At least the ones that don’t involve someone trying to kill her. “Let’s do it.”
The Grille is a little crowded, but that’s not all that unusual for a Friday night, and the two of them grab a booth and some burgers as they sit and talk. Buffy is doing her best to deliver her usual bubbly despite her nerves, despite how much she and Matt already know about each other. There’s something about a first date that always feels a little but awkward, but endearingly so. No matter how well you know each other, you’re transitioning from one thing to another.
Buffy can’t help but hope this transition goes well.
They eventually move over to a pool table, Buffy doing her best to keep herself in the moment, but she can’t help but notice the eyes on them as they move through the room. She glances in its direction, holding the gaze of the dark-haired teenager at a high-top, and then gently nudges her date.
“Not to be Paranoid Girl, but I think that guy is watching us?”
Matt glances up, following her eyeline, before rolling his eyes. “Dude. Stop creeping on my date.”
Buffy blinks, confused, but the guy’s intense look softens to something of a self-satisfied smirk. He gets up and makes his way closer. “What? You know the deal with new people in town.”
Matt shakes his head, before gesturing back to his apparent friend. “This is Tyler. Tyler, this is Buffy.”
“Oh! The best friend.” The hybrid is what her brain fills in the blanks with next, but she’s quick enough not to say it out loud. “Nice to put a face to a name.”
“You too. Matt’s only been talking about you non-stop.” There’s something about Tyler’s effortless charm that feels a little off. Like maybe he wasn’t supposed to get caught. But it’s too late now, so Buffy just brushes it off to focus on the moment she’s in.
She’s not Slayer Buffy right now. She’s On-a-Date Buffy now is not the time to get squirrely about said date’s best friend.
“What can I say? I’m an interesting girl.”
“So you are.” His eyes linger a little too long before he nods. “Anyway. I’m heading out to meet up with Caroline. But I’ll see you two around.”
They both watch him go, and she can see a furrow in Matt’s brow, almost as though something isn’t quite right with his best friend. But eventually, he shakes it off and turns back to her. “You wanna get out of here?”
“Sure do.” She flashes him a grin. “You still owe me a surprise.”
“I do, don’t I? And I am a man of my word.” He offers her his arm, and she grins as she takes it, letting him lead her out of the Grille.
The Falls at night are really something else.
She’s seen them during the day. Kendra sends them on patrols around here because some of the local color likes to use the woods to dump bodies but tonight, on a date, watching the moonlight sparkle over the rush of falling water, she can’t help but have her first instinct come out of her mouth.
“Oh, wow.”
They’re still in the cab of his truck, keeping out the chill of the fall air, and she smiles as she watches the sparkles dance.
“You can really see why this town earned its name.”
“The Falls are the Falls for a reason,” Matt nods. “It’s not often that I meet someone I can really impress with them, though.”
“Oh, no?” Buffy laughs. “I guess when a girl’s lived here her whole life, they become old news.”
“A little. It’s less romantic when you just jump right to the making out.”
“Oh-ho. So this is a prime make out spot. I see how it is.” She doesn’t sound put out, though. If anything, she’s leaning closer.
“Can’t blame a guy for shooting his shot, can you?”
Matt’s sly smile has a way of making her stomach do flip-flops, and she tries not to lean in too hard. Instead, she just curls her hand around his collar, her lips a hair’s breath from his.
“Let’s see you put your money where your mouth is.”
By the time Matt gets her back to the Slayer house, it is late. Later than she implied, she would be home, but she doesn’t think anyone is going to judge her. Kendra’s probably been out late patrolling, anyway.
He pulls up to the head of the driveway and she pats his arm. “You can drop me off here.”
“Are you sure? I can take you to the door.”
“I appreciate the gentlemanly attention, but if you come to the door, Faith’s just going to rag you even harder, and I’m trying to save you some trouble.”
He laughs before nodding. “Alright, deal.” He leans in to kiss her one last time before pulling back with a nod. “Talk to you later?”
She nods. “Yeah, I’ll text you.” She then hops out of the truck and starts making her way down the driveway.
Buffy listens to the rumble as Matt’s car drives off, and then there’s nothing but the silence of the woods. Crickets chirping, the occasional wild animal rassling around in the woods nearby—nothing out of the ordinary until she hears the snap of a twig behind her.
She whirls around, nerves on edge, and blinks when the face standing behind her is familiar.
“Tyler?”
“Hey, Buffy.” The energy he’s giving is off, just like it was at the Grille. He doesn’t want to be here, yet he’s here all the same, which has Buffy tensing, watching for what comes next. “For what it’s worth, I’m really sorry about this.”
He moves so quickly; she doesn’t realize she’s been hit until everything goes dark.