![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
( Don't worry. You're still pretty. Now you don't get to ruin it by talking. )
The confusion of the moment in the supply closet is only buoyed by the birthday present for so long. Eventually the embarrassment and rejection creeps in to the scene, followed by anger. A whole lot of anger.
SLAM!
The force of the door closing rattles the window frames on the front of the Summers home in Beacon Hills, and is followed by the thunder of Dawn’s footsteps as she moves through the house. They come to a stop in the training room, reaching for one of the staffs leaning against the wall and swinging it into the nearest training dummy.
WHACK!
“Dawn?”
She hears Buffy’s voice from somewhere next to her, but she doesn’t think of where or who else may be there with her. Her tunnel vision is just her and the dummy but she will address her sister’s concerns, each punctuated with a hard whack of the stuck against the dummy.
“Dumb stupid boys.” WHACK! “Don’t think before they kiss you with their dumb stupid lips.” WHACK! “Oh, I just wanted to shut you up, why would I want to kiss you otherwise? You’re only good to sneak me into school when I decide to play hooky with my hot, sexy girlfriend.”
WHACK WHACK WHACK!
“Okay, Dawnie, why don’t you give me the stick and we can talk about this?”
“No!” Dawn pointedly turns in Buffy’s direction, the staff included. “No, I am going to keep using this stick and keep whacking this dumb stupid dummy, because I can’t whack his dumb stupid werewolf face. Do you have any idea how unsatisfying it is to punch someone who’s face fixes itself.”
Buffy sighs softly, before releasing the stick and letting her get back to what she was doing. “I can imagine. What did Derek do?”
Dawn grimaces as she stares her sister down, before turning back to whacking the dummy again, this time paying more attention to her form and not just acting out of blind rage. “You mean other than use me to sneak into school when he shows up late? WHACK! “Forcing me hide in a supply closet when we might get caught.” WHACK! “Then kissing me to shut me up because I was freaking out and then treating it like it’s noting because why would he want to kiss me when he can be banging Hunter McHot Boobs.”
WHACK WHACK WHACK!
“Hunter Mc-what?”
Dawn huffs as she brings the staff down one last time. “Kate Argent. He’s been sneaking around with her since school started. I’ve been covering for him when he sneaks in late to first period.”
“I’m sorry, Derek is sleeping with who?”
That voice doesn’t belong to Buffy. Dawn snaps her head towards the sound and when she sees Peter standing over her sister’s shoulder her eyes immediately go wide as saucers and her hand comes up to cover her mouth.
“Crap. He’s going to kill me.”
“Oh, him killing you is the least of his problems.” Peter’s voice has that kind of tone that says Derek is so in trouble, but Dawn just glances away, rubbing the back of her neck. “Are you sure?”
Dawn glances up at him before nodding awkwardly. “I’ve seen them together. He’s so obvious about it.”
Peter brings one hand up to rub his chin slowly, before nodding. “I’ll deal with it. That will not last.”
Unfortunately, that doesn’t make her feel any better, and it won’t fix things between her and Derek. Dawn’s face falls and Buffy’s there, sliding an arm around her shoulders and glancing back to Peter. “I’ve got this. Maybe you should … ”
“Go,” Peter nods as he turns towards the door. “I will see you later.”
As Peter leaves, Buffy moves Dawn to sit against the wall of the room, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. Dawn just sighs, leaning into her sister and letting her head rest against her shoulders.
“Why are boys so dumb?”
“Because more often than not, their brain exists in their pants.”
Dawn makes a face and huffs. “He shouldn’t mess with people like that.”
“I know.”
“Just for a second, I thought … ”
“I know, Dawnie,” Buffy sighs, squeezing her tightly in response. “But it’ll all work itself out in the end. And if he’s going to go after someone like Kate, then you’re probably better off without him.”
“I know that,” she replies softly. “But right now it doesn’t feel like it.”
Buffy smiles softly, with a twinge of sadness to it. “I know how that goes too. But you’ll figure it out. I promise. You’re way smarter than I was.”
Dawn nods for a small moment, before curling up in her sister’s lap, letting Buffy brush a hand against the top of her head. “Can I just stay here for a while?”
“Yeah,” Buffy combs her fingers through her hair gently. “You can stay as long as you want.”
SLAM!
The force of the door closing rattles the window frames on the front of the Summers home in Beacon Hills, and is followed by the thunder of Dawn’s footsteps as she moves through the house. They come to a stop in the training room, reaching for one of the staffs leaning against the wall and swinging it into the nearest training dummy.
WHACK!
“Dawn?”
She hears Buffy’s voice from somewhere next to her, but she doesn’t think of where or who else may be there with her. Her tunnel vision is just her and the dummy but she will address her sister’s concerns, each punctuated with a hard whack of the stuck against the dummy.
“Dumb stupid boys.” WHACK! “Don’t think before they kiss you with their dumb stupid lips.” WHACK! “Oh, I just wanted to shut you up, why would I want to kiss you otherwise? You’re only good to sneak me into school when I decide to play hooky with my hot, sexy girlfriend.”
WHACK WHACK WHACK!
“Okay, Dawnie, why don’t you give me the stick and we can talk about this?”
“No!” Dawn pointedly turns in Buffy’s direction, the staff included. “No, I am going to keep using this stick and keep whacking this dumb stupid dummy, because I can’t whack his dumb stupid werewolf face. Do you have any idea how unsatisfying it is to punch someone who’s face fixes itself.”
Buffy sighs softly, before releasing the stick and letting her get back to what she was doing. “I can imagine. What did Derek do?”
Dawn grimaces as she stares her sister down, before turning back to whacking the dummy again, this time paying more attention to her form and not just acting out of blind rage. “You mean other than use me to sneak into school when he shows up late? WHACK! “Forcing me hide in a supply closet when we might get caught.” WHACK! “Then kissing me to shut me up because I was freaking out and then treating it like it’s noting because why would he want to kiss me when he can be banging Hunter McHot Boobs.”
WHACK WHACK WHACK!
“Hunter Mc-what?”
Dawn huffs as she brings the staff down one last time. “Kate Argent. He’s been sneaking around with her since school started. I’ve been covering for him when he sneaks in late to first period.”
“I’m sorry, Derek is sleeping with who?”
That voice doesn’t belong to Buffy. Dawn snaps her head towards the sound and when she sees Peter standing over her sister’s shoulder her eyes immediately go wide as saucers and her hand comes up to cover her mouth.
“Crap. He’s going to kill me.”
“Oh, him killing you is the least of his problems.” Peter’s voice has that kind of tone that says Derek is so in trouble, but Dawn just glances away, rubbing the back of her neck. “Are you sure?”
Dawn glances up at him before nodding awkwardly. “I’ve seen them together. He’s so obvious about it.”
Peter brings one hand up to rub his chin slowly, before nodding. “I’ll deal with it. That will not last.”
Unfortunately, that doesn’t make her feel any better, and it won’t fix things between her and Derek. Dawn’s face falls and Buffy’s there, sliding an arm around her shoulders and glancing back to Peter. “I’ve got this. Maybe you should … ”
“Go,” Peter nods as he turns towards the door. “I will see you later.”
As Peter leaves, Buffy moves Dawn to sit against the wall of the room, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her close. Dawn just sighs, leaning into her sister and letting her head rest against her shoulders.
“Why are boys so dumb?”
“Because more often than not, their brain exists in their pants.”
Dawn makes a face and huffs. “He shouldn’t mess with people like that.”
“I know.”
“Just for a second, I thought … ”
“I know, Dawnie,” Buffy sighs, squeezing her tightly in response. “But it’ll all work itself out in the end. And if he’s going to go after someone like Kate, then you’re probably better off without him.”
“I know that,” she replies softly. “But right now it doesn’t feel like it.”
Buffy smiles softly, with a twinge of sadness to it. “I know how that goes too. But you’ll figure it out. I promise. You’re way smarter than I was.”
Dawn nods for a small moment, before curling up in her sister’s lap, letting Buffy brush a hand against the top of her head. “Can I just stay here for a while?”
“Yeah,” Buffy combs her fingers through her hair gently. “You can stay as long as you want.”
“You know, I’m surprised you came to me.”
Buffy’s back is to her, and Cora’s toweling off her hair from the shower. After stopping at the loft to pick up a bag for the night, she had made a beeline right to Buffy and Peter’s place. She had texted and verified that Peter wasn’t home before she came, because her trying to figure out being girly is not something she really wants any witnesses to, but now she’s glad it’s just her and Buffy.
Cora frowns at that, tipping her head to the side. “Dawn is too tall. Whatever she has wouldn’t fit me.”
“No, not what I meant.” She glances back as she pulls one of the dresses out of the closet, turning to face her. “Not that I’m not ungrateful for the unexpected girly time, but I figured with Laura back you would go to her instead.”
“Oh.” The hand in her hair pauses for a moment, before shrugging. “I think Laura has just about as many dresses as I do right now. Plus, it’s still weird – having her there to talk to, you know? I’m used to going to you guys.”
Buffy nods once, before holding out the dark teal dress for her. “Then you get to benefit from my online shopping addiction. The problem with buying things online is that you can never really tell how they fit. This is a little too big in the bust so if it fits you and you like it, you can keep it.”
“Thanks,” she says with a smile, before disappearing back into the bathroom to change. She leaves the door open a little, and she can hear Buffy moving closer, shifting to lean her back against the wall.
“So did you want to talk to me about something?”
Cora freezes for a moment, blinking in confusion as she pulls the dress over her shoulders. “How – ”
“You mentioned talking. I inferred.”
Cora sighs, tugging up the zipper before sticking her head out the door again. “Apparently Stiles and Dad have this Valentine’s Day thing where they go and visit his mom at the cemetery. They invited me to go with them and I … I think I screwed it up.”
Buffy gestures for her to come closer, checking the fit of the dress as she talks. “That’s not really something you could screw up. If you weren’t comfortable going, you shouldn’t have gone.”
“I know. I just … he wants me to meet her.” She doesn’t sound incredulous about it. She knows that he doesn’t mean actually meeting her in the sense of meeting her, but at the same time she isn’t sure how to go about it or what she’s supposed to say.
Buffy pauses, before nodding after a moment, before leading her over to the vanity to sit her down. Her hair is drying naturally, but she reaches for the hair dryer anyway. “Maybe you should meet her. And maybe Stiles should meet Talia too.”
Cora glances back at her in confusion and Buffy nudges her head back into place again so that she could keep drying her hair. “How?”
“I’m sure there are still albums or family movies in the vaults somewhere. Those are just as good as having a grave to visit.”
Cora watches Buffy as she fixes her hair in the mirror, the pangs of the things she can’t have sitting heavily in her chest. This is something she should have had, but Buffy’s hair should be so much darker and her eyes much kinder. It’s just one of the many things she could have done with her mother but never got the chance to. As Buffy’s fingers scoop through her hair, followed by the smooth stroke of her hair brush, she can’t help the flashes of a much smaller reflection in the mirror, sitting on her knees as her mother’s fingers carded through the strands, pulling it back into a pony tail or a French braid. She shakes her head after a moment, pushing the memory away.
“Cora?”
“Nothing,” she says, blinking away the tears as she looks away. “I just miss her.”
Buffy nods a bit, before moving to sit next to her on the bench, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “I miss my mom too. Unfortunately it’s part of the dead mom package.”
Cora leans into her a bit, before sighing heavily. “I just only have today. I didn’t expect to get blindsided by that.”
“Don’t worry. He sees you in this dress, and the only thing he’s going to be thinking about is getting you out of it.” Cora glances back at her, eyebrows raised, and Buffy smirks. “Trust me. I know how to make jaws drop.”
Cora seems reluctant, but she just shakes her head before nodding. “Alright. Work your magic.”
Buffy grins, before pushing up from the bed. “Let me get my make up.”
Cora sighs heavily, leaning back in the seat. “I regret this already.”
Buffy’s back is to her, and Cora’s toweling off her hair from the shower. After stopping at the loft to pick up a bag for the night, she had made a beeline right to Buffy and Peter’s place. She had texted and verified that Peter wasn’t home before she came, because her trying to figure out being girly is not something she really wants any witnesses to, but now she’s glad it’s just her and Buffy.
Cora frowns at that, tipping her head to the side. “Dawn is too tall. Whatever she has wouldn’t fit me.”
“No, not what I meant.” She glances back as she pulls one of the dresses out of the closet, turning to face her. “Not that I’m not ungrateful for the unexpected girly time, but I figured with Laura back you would go to her instead.”
“Oh.” The hand in her hair pauses for a moment, before shrugging. “I think Laura has just about as many dresses as I do right now. Plus, it’s still weird – having her there to talk to, you know? I’m used to going to you guys.”
Buffy nods once, before holding out the dark teal dress for her. “Then you get to benefit from my online shopping addiction. The problem with buying things online is that you can never really tell how they fit. This is a little too big in the bust so if it fits you and you like it, you can keep it.”
“Thanks,” she says with a smile, before disappearing back into the bathroom to change. She leaves the door open a little, and she can hear Buffy moving closer, shifting to lean her back against the wall.
“So did you want to talk to me about something?”
Cora freezes for a moment, blinking in confusion as she pulls the dress over her shoulders. “How – ”
“You mentioned talking. I inferred.”
Cora sighs, tugging up the zipper before sticking her head out the door again. “Apparently Stiles and Dad have this Valentine’s Day thing where they go and visit his mom at the cemetery. They invited me to go with them and I … I think I screwed it up.”
Buffy gestures for her to come closer, checking the fit of the dress as she talks. “That’s not really something you could screw up. If you weren’t comfortable going, you shouldn’t have gone.”
“I know. I just … he wants me to meet her.” She doesn’t sound incredulous about it. She knows that he doesn’t mean actually meeting her in the sense of meeting her, but at the same time she isn’t sure how to go about it or what she’s supposed to say.
Buffy pauses, before nodding after a moment, before leading her over to the vanity to sit her down. Her hair is drying naturally, but she reaches for the hair dryer anyway. “Maybe you should meet her. And maybe Stiles should meet Talia too.”
Cora glances back at her in confusion and Buffy nudges her head back into place again so that she could keep drying her hair. “How?”
“I’m sure there are still albums or family movies in the vaults somewhere. Those are just as good as having a grave to visit.”
Cora watches Buffy as she fixes her hair in the mirror, the pangs of the things she can’t have sitting heavily in her chest. This is something she should have had, but Buffy’s hair should be so much darker and her eyes much kinder. It’s just one of the many things she could have done with her mother but never got the chance to. As Buffy’s fingers scoop through her hair, followed by the smooth stroke of her hair brush, she can’t help the flashes of a much smaller reflection in the mirror, sitting on her knees as her mother’s fingers carded through the strands, pulling it back into a pony tail or a French braid. She shakes her head after a moment, pushing the memory away.
“Cora?”
“Nothing,” she says, blinking away the tears as she looks away. “I just miss her.”
Buffy nods a bit, before moving to sit next to her on the bench, sliding an arm around her shoulders. “I miss my mom too. Unfortunately it’s part of the dead mom package.”
Cora leans into her a bit, before sighing heavily. “I just only have today. I didn’t expect to get blindsided by that.”
“Don’t worry. He sees you in this dress, and the only thing he’s going to be thinking about is getting you out of it.” Cora glances back at her, eyebrows raised, and Buffy smirks. “Trust me. I know how to make jaws drop.”
Cora seems reluctant, but she just shakes her head before nodding. “Alright. Work your magic.”
Buffy grins, before pushing up from the bed. “Let me get my make up.”
Cora sighs heavily, leaning back in the seat. “I regret this already.”
