Matt gets a text towards the end of his shift that both Tyler and Buffy are okay. The anxious nerves he’s been holding on to since Damon and Faith left the bar ahead of his melts out of him and he closes his eyes to take a breath. They’re okay. This probably isn’t over, but his two most important people are okay.
He doesn’t know when Buffy became important, not in a real way, but she is. Or he thinks she at least could be, if they’re allowed to have the time.
It would have been great if it hadn’t been followed by the text that comes after: Come by the house. We have to talk.
That feels like another rock sinking into the pit of his stomach, but he says he’ll be there in twenty minutes, gets in his car, and drives to the house. Trying to avoid it has never made anything in Mystic Falls go away. The body blow is coming. It’s just a matter of how much he can take of it.
Faith is waiting for him outside the farmhouse, leaning against the railing of the porch and smoking a cigarette. She stabs it into an ashtray as he gets closer and speaks, but is cut off by something clanging against the iron bars inside.
“What the hell?” he blinks, and she holds up a finger.
“Before I explain, this was Buffy’s idea.”
“Then maybe I should hear it from Buffy.”
“Yeah, but to get to Buffy you have to go inside, and you’ll see the part I was supposed to explain first, so just bear with me.” Faith holds up her hands. “So Tyler is sired to Klaus.”
“Yeah, Damon keeps saying that, but he’s pretty light on what that actually means beyond the fact that it’s bad.”
“Because it is bad. It means that basically whatever Klaus tells him to do, he has to do.”
“So, how do we fix it?”
“We don’t. Tyler fixes it. Option one is flipping your humanity switch, which he doesn’t want to do.”
“So what’s option two?” He tenses. “You said he was fine.”
“He is. He is. Killing him is option three, and Buffy said that was off the table. We’re going with option two.”
He stares at her for a moment, trying to parse the details of what she’s saying in between the lines, when something clangs against bars again. “Okay, what is that?”
“It’s Tyler. Because option two is that he turns repeatedly until he’s fully in control of his shifting. Until it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
It dawns on him what’s waiting behind the door the second after that. “You have him in the cage.”
“It’s the safest place for him to turn if he’s going to stay in town. If he leaves, Klaus might get suspicious and that could be worse for him.”
“And could also continue to do thinks like keep ordering him to kill my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, that’s the other thing. But you’re going to want to talk to B about that one.” Faith gestures for him to move ahead of her to the door, and he follows. As he moves inside, he hears the roar of the angry werewolf raging against the cage holding it, while Kendra watches on, weapon in hand, just in case.
He can’t think about it, so he does his best to look away. Faith leads him through the house and drops him off at the door to Buffy’s bedroom, where she’s curled up on the bed, nursing some bruises that weren’t there when he dropped her off the night before.
“Hey.”
She looks up and blinks in surprise before it relaxes into a smile. “Hey.”
“Got some room over there?”
She nods, inching over to give him some space. He makes his way over, making sure his shoes hang off the edge of her bed but leaving her room to cuddle in close. She tucks her head against his chest and lets out a small sigh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you for sending Damon to come find me.”
Matt laughs. “Yeah, he’ll probably hold that over my head for a while. But I’m glad you and Tyler are both okay.”
“Did Faith fill you in on the plan?”
“The Tyler part. She didn’t get around to the you part.”
“Ah.” Buffy shifts to glance up at him with a small sigh. “We want Klaus to think Tyler did as he was told, so I’m gonna lie low for a while. Maybe fly out and see my mom if I can sneak away.”
He feels his heart sink, because things were going well. Of course, that means it’s going to slip through his fingers. “For how long?”
“Until we have a clear plan on how to deal with the Originals. Faith and Kendra are going to stay, keep an eye on things. But I need to be out of view.”
“Well. That sucks.”
“Does it?” She glances up with a small smile, resting her arm across his chest so she can leverage herself up. “Does that mean you’re going to miss me?”
“Probably more than you think. But we can talk, right? You’re not going full radio silence?”
She nods. “We can. And text. But you should probably avoid mentioning me around people who it might pass back to Klaus through.”
“Does Ty know the plan?”
“Only his part of it.” Buffy sighs. “I feel bad for him. He’s going to need you to have his back.”
“I know. I’ll be here. He’s … pretty much all I have left.”
“Seems like he’s a good guy to have when he’s not being mind controlled by a thousand year-old psychopath.”
“He is.” Matt nods. “And he’s not. He’s complicated.”
“I guess we all are.” Buffy leans in to kiss him softly, before looking up at him. “Stay until I have to go?”
“I have to work tomorrow. But otherwise, yeah. I can stay.”
Buffy nods, closing her eyes and curling in closer. “That’ll work.”
Matt relaxes as he feels her relax against him, and closes his eyes. Tomorrow is going to be harder, watching his tone and making sure he doesn’t say the wrong thing. Klaus will probably watch, after all. But for now, this will have to do.
i don't want the world, only you | buffyverse/tvdverse | 1,068
Matt gets a text towards the end of his shift that both Tyler and Buffy are okay. The anxious nerves he’s been holding on to since Damon and Faith left the bar ahead of his melts out of him and he closes his eyes to take a breath. They’re okay. This probably isn’t over, but his two most important people are okay.
He doesn’t know when Buffy became important, not in a real way, but she is. Or he thinks she at least could be, if they’re allowed to have the time.
It would have been great if it hadn’t been followed by the text that comes after: Come by the house. We have to talk.
That feels like another rock sinking into the pit of his stomach, but he says he’ll be there in twenty minutes, gets in his car, and drives to the house. Trying to avoid it has never made anything in Mystic Falls go away. The body blow is coming. It’s just a matter of how much he can take of it.
Faith is waiting for him outside the farmhouse, leaning against the railing of the porch and smoking a cigarette. She stabs it into an ashtray as he gets closer and speaks, but is cut off by something clanging against the iron bars inside.
“What the hell?” he blinks, and she holds up a finger.
“Before I explain, this was Buffy’s idea.”
“Then maybe I should hear it from Buffy.”
“Yeah, but to get to Buffy you have to go inside, and you’ll see the part I was supposed to explain first, so just bear with me.” Faith holds up her hands. “So Tyler is sired to Klaus.”
“Yeah, Damon keeps saying that, but he’s pretty light on what that actually means beyond the fact that it’s bad.”
“Because it is bad. It means that basically whatever Klaus tells him to do, he has to do.”
“So, how do we fix it?”
“We don’t. Tyler fixes it. Option one is flipping your humanity switch, which he doesn’t want to do.”
“So what’s option two?” He tenses. “You said he was fine.”
“He is. He is. Killing him is option three, and Buffy said that was off the table. We’re going with option two.”
He stares at her for a moment, trying to parse the details of what she’s saying in between the lines, when something clangs against bars again. “Okay, what is that?”
“It’s Tyler. Because option two is that he turns repeatedly until he’s fully in control of his shifting. Until it doesn’t hurt anymore.”
It dawns on him what’s waiting behind the door the second after that. “You have him in the cage.”
“It’s the safest place for him to turn if he’s going to stay in town. If he leaves, Klaus might get suspicious and that could be worse for him.”
“And could also continue to do thinks like keep ordering him to kill my girlfriend.”
“Yeah, that’s the other thing. But you’re going to want to talk to B about that one.” Faith gestures for him to move ahead of her to the door, and he follows. As he moves inside, he hears the roar of the angry werewolf raging against the cage holding it, while Kendra watches on, weapon in hand, just in case.
He can’t think about it, so he does his best to look away. Faith leads him through the house and drops him off at the door to Buffy’s bedroom, where she’s curled up on the bed, nursing some bruises that weren’t there when he dropped her off the night before.
“Hey.”
She looks up and blinks in surprise before it relaxes into a smile. “Hey.”
“Got some room over there?”
She nods, inching over to give him some space. He makes his way over, making sure his shoes hang off the edge of her bed but leaving her room to cuddle in close. She tucks her head against his chest and lets out a small sigh. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but thank you for sending Damon to come find me.”
Matt laughs. “Yeah, he’ll probably hold that over my head for a while. But I’m glad you and Tyler are both okay.”
“Did Faith fill you in on the plan?”
“The Tyler part. She didn’t get around to the you part.”
“Ah.” Buffy shifts to glance up at him with a small sigh. “We want Klaus to think Tyler did as he was told, so I’m gonna lie low for a while. Maybe fly out and see my mom if I can sneak away.”
He feels his heart sink, because things were going well. Of course, that means it’s going to slip through his fingers. “For how long?”
“Until we have a clear plan on how to deal with the Originals. Faith and Kendra are going to stay, keep an eye on things. But I need to be out of view.”
“Well. That sucks.”
“Does it?” She glances up with a small smile, resting her arm across his chest so she can leverage herself up. “Does that mean you’re going to miss me?”
“Probably more than you think. But we can talk, right? You’re not going full radio silence?”
She nods. “We can. And text. But you should probably avoid mentioning me around people who it might pass back to Klaus through.”
“Does Ty know the plan?”
“Only his part of it.” Buffy sighs. “I feel bad for him. He’s going to need you to have his back.”
“I know. I’ll be here. He’s … pretty much all I have left.”
“Seems like he’s a good guy to have when he’s not being mind controlled by a thousand year-old psychopath.”
“He is.” Matt nods. “And he’s not. He’s complicated.”
“I guess we all are.” Buffy leans in to kiss him softly, before looking up at him. “Stay until I have to go?”
“I have to work tomorrow. But otherwise, yeah. I can stay.”
Buffy nods, closing her eyes and curling in closer. “That’ll work.”
Matt relaxes as he feels her relax against him, and closes his eyes. Tomorrow is going to be harder, watching his tone and making sure he doesn’t say the wrong thing. Klaus will probably watch, after all. But for now, this will have to do.
All he can hope is that this won’t take too long.