Work Text:
Andrew knocked softly on the door and quietly called, “Dawn? Are you still awake?”
Dawn opened the door and stuck her head out. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh, yeah!” he exclaimed, only to be shushed by her. “Oops, sorry,” he apologized in a lowered voice.
“Um, did you want something?”
“Well, not really. I just wanted to talk,” he said, shifting from one foot to the other.
“Talk? At...” she stopped and checked her watch. “At midnight?”
“I know it’s late. If you don’t want to, it’s okay.”
Dawn opened the door wider then stepped out in the hall and pulled the door close behind her. “No, I don’t mind. I couldn’t sleep anyway.” She sat down on the floor and leaned back against the door. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
Andrew slid down the wall and settled beside her. “I just, uh, wanted to see if you were okay what with the whole Buffy thing and all.”
“Oh. I’m dealing...Did you know I’m the one who kicked her out?”
“You?” Andrew asked, his eyes wide.
“Me. She died for me and I kick her out of her own house.” Dawn sighed and rubbed her eyes. “I just...I didn’t see any other way. She wouldn’t listen. She was going to take everyone back to the Vineyard, Andrew. Just because she thought they might be protecting something.”
“I think you did the right thing,” he said.
“You do?” she asked, looking at him with surprise.
“Yeah. I mean, Spike’s the only who doesn’t think so and that’s just because him and Buffy...well, you know.” She nodded. “So cheer up, buttercup!” he said, patting her head.
Dawn snorted back laughter and smiled at him. Andrew placed his hand on top of hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. She looked down at their hands then back up at him, the smile still on her lips. He held her gaze for a moment then looked down, embarrassed.
“You know, sometimes, when things get to hard or scary, I like to pretend I’m somewhere else,” he said.
“Where would you be right now?” Dawn asked.
Andrew shook his head. “You’ll laugh.”
“I won’t. Promise.” She linked her fingers with his.
“Okay...I’d be at the movies seeing the new X-Men movie,” he said with a blush.
“You like X-Men? What I am saying? Of course, you like X-Men. So who‘s your favorite character?” she asked, glad for the distraction from real life.
“Oh, I love them all,” Andrew answered, his eyes bright.
Dawn smiled at his enthusiasm. “I’ve never read the comics. I saw the first movie, though. Hugh Jackman is hot.”
“Yeah,” he replied, nodding his head.
“Can ask you something personal, Andrew?”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Um… Okay, I’ve wondered this for a long time. I keep going back and forth on the answer so I thought I should just ask... Are you gay?” Dawn asked quickly.
“I’ve never really thought about that. I just like people. All kinds of people. They don’t seem to like me, though,” he said sadly.
“I like you,” Dawn said earnestly.
Andrew smiled. “I like you, too.” She kissed his cheek and his smile widened. “You’re a peach.”