We Are As Gods Andrew Challenge Fic
Jul. 1st, 2003 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chickenFab and Evette posed a flashfic challenge on the FCFM (funnel cakes and flying monkeys) Andrew list.
Well, not my best work, but it has some bright spots:
Title: Reunion
Author: Chicken
Rating: PG
Feedback: chickenofeathers@y...
Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine, just for fun, borrowing the
characters, etc.
Note 1: Written for the 'We are as Gods' flashfic challenge on the
FCFM mailing list.
Note 2: Written for Doyle, who wanted an Andrew futurefic that takes
place at least five years after Sunnydale.
Note 3: Spoilers: everything, I guess, I mean it does take place in
the future.
Note 4: Thanks to Karen and Emony for beta duties. Both of you were SO
helpful.
Note 5: Number of words: 1,375 -- I hope this is not TOO much.
--------
Angel had told him to make sure Willow and the other Cleveland
scoobies got the talisman before the eclipse on Monday. Prophecy,
apocalypse, celestial weirdness, what else was new? Still, Angel had
never actually sent him to Cleveland. Usually it was just research,
email and phone exchanges with Willow, and the occasional lumpy FedEx
package.
He had specifically arranged for an earlier flight than the one he and
Willow had discussed on the phone, just so he could make a certain pit
stop on the outskirts of town. He changed behind his rental car, paid
the entrance fee, and was soon strolling through the throngs.
He fancied himself a rather dashing figure in his mask, cape, hood,
and tall boots. Unsure where to go first, he continued strolling
rather aimlessly. Then suddenly his heart stopped in shock. A familiar
figure was coming towards him.
He became nervous and very excited all at once, completely forgetting
to act dashing in his cape and boots, instead breaking into an awkward
run towards the handsome dark-haired man in jeans and a gray t-shirt.
Clumps of other enthusiastic attendees swarmed through the fair
grounds, obscuring his view of the other man. However, a few more
brisk strides brought him within speaking distance.
"Holy Geez Louise, it's Xander! Xander! What are you doing here? And
out of costume, I might add!" The caped man whisked his mask off as he
spoke, revealing a head of blond hair.
The handsome man looked up, the surprise of recognition momentarily
rendering him speechless.
"Andrew!" Xander paused, still getting over his surprise. "It's ...
it's good to see you. And no, I'm never wearing a costume again. This
two-dollar costume king isn't turning into anything but a construction
guy, ever again. Don't worry, I'm not much of a Ren. Fair geek, that's
more Willow's thing. I got called in to fix the railing around the
jousting field again. Second time this week. Those guys don't have
very good aim, they keep overshooting and hitting the fence instead of
each other. And they don't seem to be able to afford someone with
depth perception for the job. Cheap bastards. Anyway, I just finished
fixing it, I'm on my way out."
It was then that Andrew noticed Xander was carrying a rather
impressive-looking power tool, because Xander put it down and drew
Andrew into a big hug.
Andrew withdrew from the hug, filled with confusion at the emotions
welling up in his chest. True, there had been some hugs and much more
intimate things five years ago, right after Sunnydale sunk into a pit
of nothingness, but it seemed like a mere act of consolation for both
of them, after Anya's death.
They had parted in awkward sorrow, never meeting again, although
Xander had sent several vaguely flirty, ambiguous, and tortured
letters that Andrew had been too shy and confused to answer.
He noticed something seemed to be missing from Xander's face. "Hey, no
patch! That's a very convincing fake eye. You looked so cool in the
patch, and I never got to see that whole pirate costume ensemble. But
that wouldn't be quite appropriate at this lovely Renaissance Fair
anyway."
Xander grinned at him and made grunty pirate noises, throwing in a
"matey" and winking. Andrew regretted leaving the hug -- it was so
nice to see Xander again. The awkwardness of their five years' strange
separation began to fall away, the playful banter and joking bringing
back many memories.
Xander had thought about their one post-Sunnydale night every day
since they'd parted, and had tried to figure out what it meant in more
ways than one. He had dialed Andrew's number a million times only to
hang up before it rang twice; he had sent strange letters to Andrew
that he knew were too bizarre for the guy to answer. He'd even dated a
girl for six months, hoping it was all just a random physical thing to
ease the pain of Anya's death, and not a sign he was really going gay.
But the girl, nice though she was, just didn't understand him. She
hadn't been there, didn't know how wrenching that final battle and its
aftermath had been, hadn't grown up and gone to school on a Hellmouth
every day of her life. Andrew understood all that, and had truly
seemed to care both for Anya and for him.
But Xander didn't want to get all emotional right off the bat, so he
went back to the small talk. "Your costume, on the other hand, is ...
magnificent. Love the cape. But Willow said you weren't supposed to
get to town until tomorrow."
"Come on, do you think I'd skip the Ren. Fair? Had to come early. I
didn't expect to see any of you here. But I am glad you are here. It's
been ... so long." He shyly took Xander's hand and looked into his
good eye. "Oh, Xander, I'm so glad to see you."
Xander smiled back and squeezed Andrew's hand. Maybe things wouldn't
be so weird this time. Maybe they could find something deeper than
just comfort.
"Hey, can I see it, the talisman? Willow said it would be just up my
alley, all shiny like a nickel," Xander joked, steering the topic once
more away from relationship waters.
"Oh, yeah, it's super! Angel said it was either Dawn or me. Someone
had to bring it to Cleveland, and, well what with the Fair going on,
and what with ... missing you ... I mean, I think about you a lot, and
I finally kinda just had to see you. And Dawn's too busy with college
to leave L.A. right now. And, Xander ... oh god, Xander, you're
totally cool, I mean, it wasn't just the Anya thing, you know that,
right? I couldn't really tell how you felt all this time, your letters
were so hard to figure out. But I wanted to answer them, I was just
afraid."
He dropped the round, incredibly shiny bronze talisman on its long
chain into Xander's hand, still gripping the other hand in his own.
Xander fingered the talisman absent-mindedly, thinking about what
Andrew had said. "God, Andrew, I really wanted an answer from you, but
part of me was afraid to hear it, or I would have followed through on
my calls. I'm sorry if the letters spooked you, or if I didn't make my
feelings clear. I do have feelings for you, for real and for good."
He stopped and met Andrew's eyes with his one. He was surprised to see
that Andrew was still smiling at him and didn't looked freaked.
Andrew could feel the heat between them more surely now than during
that first excited hug. They were both less surprised and awkward, and
more relaxed.
"Lighten up, handsome! It shall all work out. Deep down, you are an
extraordinary gentleman, Xander Harris. I forgive you your stalky
phone calls and cryptic missives. I'd much rather spend time with a
tall handsome power tool-toting ex-pirate than see the Fair! Let us go
enjoy an onion blossom and a cool, refreshing Zima and talk it over
some more."
Xander picked up the large power tool and they began to walk around
the exit.
Andrew looked closely at the power tool for the first time. "Nice
tool, Xander."
"Oh yeah, baby, it's a brand new BD2500 nail gun. Not that they let me
use one on the site, me being depth perceptionless guy." Xander
sighed. "All paperwork and management for me. But a little
extra-curricular tooling is none of their business."
"Well, hey, you fixed the fence and didn't loose a finger! It is an
awesome tool. It is lightweight, compact, and easy to manage, yet
provides a thrusting power of quite a few impressive pounds per inch.
I should know. I wrote the user's manual."
"You what? Whoa, that's a great user's ... hey, thrusting power? Very
funny, my friend!" They laughed together.
Andrew linked his elbow through Xander's and walked out through the
fair's exit and into the parking lot. Feeling the easy camaraderie,
Andrew knew then that they would be happy together, happier than
dancing schnauzers or demigods in togas tripping through meadows.
My favorite story in the challenge was Moonloon's: Spirit Guide.
Well, not my best work, but it has some bright spots:
Title: Reunion
Author: Chicken
Rating: PG
Feedback: chickenofeathers@y...
Disclaimer: Not mine, never mine, just for fun, borrowing the
characters, etc.
Note 1: Written for the 'We are as Gods' flashfic challenge on the
FCFM mailing list.
Note 2: Written for Doyle, who wanted an Andrew futurefic that takes
place at least five years after Sunnydale.
Note 3: Spoilers: everything, I guess, I mean it does take place in
the future.
Note 4: Thanks to Karen and Emony for beta duties. Both of you were SO
helpful.
Note 5: Number of words: 1,375 -- I hope this is not TOO much.
--------
Angel had told him to make sure Willow and the other Cleveland
scoobies got the talisman before the eclipse on Monday. Prophecy,
apocalypse, celestial weirdness, what else was new? Still, Angel had
never actually sent him to Cleveland. Usually it was just research,
email and phone exchanges with Willow, and the occasional lumpy FedEx
package.
He had specifically arranged for an earlier flight than the one he and
Willow had discussed on the phone, just so he could make a certain pit
stop on the outskirts of town. He changed behind his rental car, paid
the entrance fee, and was soon strolling through the throngs.
He fancied himself a rather dashing figure in his mask, cape, hood,
and tall boots. Unsure where to go first, he continued strolling
rather aimlessly. Then suddenly his heart stopped in shock. A familiar
figure was coming towards him.
He became nervous and very excited all at once, completely forgetting
to act dashing in his cape and boots, instead breaking into an awkward
run towards the handsome dark-haired man in jeans and a gray t-shirt.
Clumps of other enthusiastic attendees swarmed through the fair
grounds, obscuring his view of the other man. However, a few more
brisk strides brought him within speaking distance.
"Holy Geez Louise, it's Xander! Xander! What are you doing here? And
out of costume, I might add!" The caped man whisked his mask off as he
spoke, revealing a head of blond hair.
The handsome man looked up, the surprise of recognition momentarily
rendering him speechless.
"Andrew!" Xander paused, still getting over his surprise. "It's ...
it's good to see you. And no, I'm never wearing a costume again. This
two-dollar costume king isn't turning into anything but a construction
guy, ever again. Don't worry, I'm not much of a Ren. Fair geek, that's
more Willow's thing. I got called in to fix the railing around the
jousting field again. Second time this week. Those guys don't have
very good aim, they keep overshooting and hitting the fence instead of
each other. And they don't seem to be able to afford someone with
depth perception for the job. Cheap bastards. Anyway, I just finished
fixing it, I'm on my way out."
It was then that Andrew noticed Xander was carrying a rather
impressive-looking power tool, because Xander put it down and drew
Andrew into a big hug.
Andrew withdrew from the hug, filled with confusion at the emotions
welling up in his chest. True, there had been some hugs and much more
intimate things five years ago, right after Sunnydale sunk into a pit
of nothingness, but it seemed like a mere act of consolation for both
of them, after Anya's death.
They had parted in awkward sorrow, never meeting again, although
Xander had sent several vaguely flirty, ambiguous, and tortured
letters that Andrew had been too shy and confused to answer.
He noticed something seemed to be missing from Xander's face. "Hey, no
patch! That's a very convincing fake eye. You looked so cool in the
patch, and I never got to see that whole pirate costume ensemble. But
that wouldn't be quite appropriate at this lovely Renaissance Fair
anyway."
Xander grinned at him and made grunty pirate noises, throwing in a
"matey" and winking. Andrew regretted leaving the hug -- it was so
nice to see Xander again. The awkwardness of their five years' strange
separation began to fall away, the playful banter and joking bringing
back many memories.
Xander had thought about their one post-Sunnydale night every day
since they'd parted, and had tried to figure out what it meant in more
ways than one. He had dialed Andrew's number a million times only to
hang up before it rang twice; he had sent strange letters to Andrew
that he knew were too bizarre for the guy to answer. He'd even dated a
girl for six months, hoping it was all just a random physical thing to
ease the pain of Anya's death, and not a sign he was really going gay.
But the girl, nice though she was, just didn't understand him. She
hadn't been there, didn't know how wrenching that final battle and its
aftermath had been, hadn't grown up and gone to school on a Hellmouth
every day of her life. Andrew understood all that, and had truly
seemed to care both for Anya and for him.
But Xander didn't want to get all emotional right off the bat, so he
went back to the small talk. "Your costume, on the other hand, is ...
magnificent. Love the cape. But Willow said you weren't supposed to
get to town until tomorrow."
"Come on, do you think I'd skip the Ren. Fair? Had to come early. I
didn't expect to see any of you here. But I am glad you are here. It's
been ... so long." He shyly took Xander's hand and looked into his
good eye. "Oh, Xander, I'm so glad to see you."
Xander smiled back and squeezed Andrew's hand. Maybe things wouldn't
be so weird this time. Maybe they could find something deeper than
just comfort.
"Hey, can I see it, the talisman? Willow said it would be just up my
alley, all shiny like a nickel," Xander joked, steering the topic once
more away from relationship waters.
"Oh, yeah, it's super! Angel said it was either Dawn or me. Someone
had to bring it to Cleveland, and, well what with the Fair going on,
and what with ... missing you ... I mean, I think about you a lot, and
I finally kinda just had to see you. And Dawn's too busy with college
to leave L.A. right now. And, Xander ... oh god, Xander, you're
totally cool, I mean, it wasn't just the Anya thing, you know that,
right? I couldn't really tell how you felt all this time, your letters
were so hard to figure out. But I wanted to answer them, I was just
afraid."
He dropped the round, incredibly shiny bronze talisman on its long
chain into Xander's hand, still gripping the other hand in his own.
Xander fingered the talisman absent-mindedly, thinking about what
Andrew had said. "God, Andrew, I really wanted an answer from you, but
part of me was afraid to hear it, or I would have followed through on
my calls. I'm sorry if the letters spooked you, or if I didn't make my
feelings clear. I do have feelings for you, for real and for good."
He stopped and met Andrew's eyes with his one. He was surprised to see
that Andrew was still smiling at him and didn't looked freaked.
Andrew could feel the heat between them more surely now than during
that first excited hug. They were both less surprised and awkward, and
more relaxed.
"Lighten up, handsome! It shall all work out. Deep down, you are an
extraordinary gentleman, Xander Harris. I forgive you your stalky
phone calls and cryptic missives. I'd much rather spend time with a
tall handsome power tool-toting ex-pirate than see the Fair! Let us go
enjoy an onion blossom and a cool, refreshing Zima and talk it over
some more."
Xander picked up the large power tool and they began to walk around
the exit.
Andrew looked closely at the power tool for the first time. "Nice
tool, Xander."
"Oh yeah, baby, it's a brand new BD2500 nail gun. Not that they let me
use one on the site, me being depth perceptionless guy." Xander
sighed. "All paperwork and management for me. But a little
extra-curricular tooling is none of their business."
"Well, hey, you fixed the fence and didn't loose a finger! It is an
awesome tool. It is lightweight, compact, and easy to manage, yet
provides a thrusting power of quite a few impressive pounds per inch.
I should know. I wrote the user's manual."
"You what? Whoa, that's a great user's ... hey, thrusting power? Very
funny, my friend!" They laughed together.
Andrew linked his elbow through Xander's and walked out through the
fair's exit and into the parking lot. Feeling the easy camaraderie,
Andrew knew then that they would be happy together, happier than
dancing schnauzers or demigods in togas tripping through meadows.
My favorite story in the challenge was Moonloon's: Spirit Guide.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
Nice, one.
Date: 2003-07-02 08:50 am (UTC)If you decide to write anymore and need a beta, don't hesitate to send it my way!
Re: Nice, one.
Date: 2003-07-02 10:43 am (UTC)