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“Hey, what’s all the tinsel for?”
“Oh. Hey. Just setting up some decorations. You like?”
“Mistletoe? Who are you trying to use that on, Wills?” Buffy laughs, “And I thought that was just a Christmas thing.”
Willow’s eyes widen, and she hopes she’s not blushing. Right. There is some mistletoe hung among the string lights and decorations on their ceiling. “Oh, it is, but it’s also supposed to protect you from demons. And we can always use more of that, right?” She wasn’t even thinking of the… other part.
“ Right — but you didn’t answer my question,” Buffy smiles, knowingly, keeping her gaze turned towards Willow as she sits down on her bed, setting her backpack on the floor.
“No one!” Willow insists, quickly shifting topics and hoping it’ll distract her enough to not push it further. “And look, I got you a little tree for your desk, too. With tiny lights!” It’s darn cute too; tiny little ornaments, and a glittery star on the top that lights up when you press a button—
“How… multicultural of you,” she giggles, covering her face, “Geez, the more time I spend with Giles, the more I’m starting to sound like him.”
“Eh,” she shrugs, “there are worse things.”
“Hey,” Buffy says, calling her attention as she glances back at the door. “What’s the Hanukkah equivalent of mistletoe?”
She racks her brain, and ends up rambling— “I don’t think there is one? I guess you could kiss someone over the menorah, but… you’d probably just end up lighting your hair on fire.” —as usual. “ Blah, anyways… I have a present for you!”
“Oh, Will, you didn’t have to get me anyth—”
“I know you got me something too, so quit it.” Willow laughs as Buffy crosses her arms, pouting. She reaches under her pillow, and tosses the gift to her.
Of course, Buffy catches it easily, without even trying to. When she does look down, her eyes widen — she looks up at Willow, back down, up again — “Is this… you be—”
She’s trying her darndest not to laugh, fully maintaining that this is a Totally Serious Gift. “I bedazzled a stake,” she nods. Buffy stares at her. “It’s fashionable, but it’s also totally functional — it’s reflective, for safety , and… oh geez , I can’t help it!” She bursts into laughter, “This isn’t your real gift. I got you something real, I promise!”
“You know… the grip on this is actually pretty good,” Buffy laughs, tossing it between her hands. “I don’t know if anything else is gonna measure up.”
She reaches under her pillow for the other gift, wrapped to perfection in the silly wrapping paper she bought at the dollar store, covered with cartoon snowmen and reindeer, and hands it to Buffy. Still laughing, she looks down at the box; tears the paper down the center where it’s taped together, and her face turns solemn, but still maintaining a small smile. “You didn’t have to get me two gifts. Honestly… I like the stake.”
She shrugs, “I wanted to. You’re my friend, a-and the holidays are about showing the people you care about that you… care about them.”
Buffy opens the box — Willow watches her face carefully — biting her lip, “Wills, really, you shouldn’t have.”
This time, she does blush. “I figured, y’know, we met in high school, so we never got to do that tacky BFF necklace thing — those ones that would turn your skin green and stuff — and this is like… the grown up version of that. Plus, there’s little cross charms on ‘em, so they’re functional too!”
She smiles, and gets up, standing in front of the mirror, fiddling with the clasp behind her head. “Help me with this?”
Willow does, and Buffy doesn’t hesitate in spinning her around, and fastening the other necklace around Willow’s neck.
They both look in the mirror. “Okay. Now my gift is super lame.”
“I’m sure it isn’t,” Willow giggles, seeing in their reflection how Buffy crosses her arms like a kid, hunching over.
“It’s hot cocoa and marshmallows with a mug with a stupid cat pun on it.”
“Well… what’s the pun?”
“... Whisker Wonderland.”
“I… I love it already.”
She notices the mistletoe above them in the mirror, turning around and looking up — just to make sure, yes, it’s really there, and looks back at Buffy. “Okay… I so didn’t think this through.”
What she really didn’t think through was the idea of Buffy actually kissing her — because it’s over before she can even finish processing the thought in her mind.
“Sorry,” Buffy says, shaking her head, chuckling even as she makes a funny face. “Um. Thanks… again.”
Willow tries to calm her thoughts, running a mile a minute; tries to justify not only what just happened, but also… the butterflies in her stomach. “No, it’s… it’s all in the spirit, right? Tradition, and what-not?”
“Okay, cool.”
“Yep. Totally cool and fine.”
It’s so not totally cool and fine.
“Good.”
The tension dissipates, and Buffy makes her way back across the room, fumbling with her backpack, stacking books up on her desk.
“So… how’s it going with Riley?” The second the question leaves Willow’s mouth, she wants to bang her head against the wall.
But Buffy doesn’t hesitate answering: “He’s… closed off. I don’t know if it’s because I’m all secrets girl or… do you think he’s just… not into me ?”
“Of course not!” She says, a little too eager, adding, “I mean, why wouldn’t he be?”
“I don’t know, what if he likes… smart girls? I never do my homework!”
Willow rolls her eyes, “You are smart.”
“Even if that’s true—and I’m not saying it is—what if—”
“—Why are you so worried about this one guy liking you, Buff?”
“‘Cause then I don’t have to—”
“...What?”
“...I kissed you,” she says, matter-of-fact.
“Uh, y-yeah,” Willow stutters, pulling on the hem of her shirt.
“Did it… does that mean something?”
“Um… do you want it to mean something?”
“... Yeah ?”
“Oh.”
“Do you… not ?” Although it's a rare sight, Willow's pretty sure she recognizes fear on Buffy's face.
“Yes! No! I mean—” Willow sighs, fully resigned to the red heat taking over her face. “Which one’s the kinda-gay answer?” When Buffy doesn’t respond, all doe-eyed and sweet, she adds, “Cause I’ve had the biggest darn crush on you since high school, a-and ever since I realized that, I’ve been pushing it down, because I don’t ever want anything to come between us.”
Buffy takes a deep breath, and smiles. “You wanna go get ice cream?”
“Yeah, I uh… I’d like that.”