Work Text:
The only thing we have to fear is...fear itself.
The history teacher thought this is a lesson her students need to learn. That Franklin Delano Roosevelt was talking about being brave, being courageous in the face of the unknown.
Sure, Buffy thought he was a smart president, but what did he really know about fear?
Did he know what it was like to get brushed off, turned down by the man he loved?
Did he know what it was like to have his stomach churn with trepidation as his best friend was nearly strangled at the hands of the man he gave his heart to?
Did he know how it felt to drown in his feelings, not being able to ignore the power of the love he still felt?
Did he know that he would someday (soon) have to take the life of his lover? That he would have to look into those soft, brown eyes and feel muscle and sinew turn to dust under his fingertips?
She could tell him about fear.
She could tell him about love lost.
What would his inaugural address be then?
What would he say?
The only thing we have to fear is…everything. It’s what we do next that matters the most.