Bumps in the Road
May. 5th, 2017 06:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerI'd been trying to write Xander's college years for a while and was running into a roadblock and after watching Moana of all things (I say of all things because it's pretty much unrelated not because it's a bad movie because it's not although native critics are divided on it) figured out why. Which resulted in the following fic.
Also, man, I didn't think I'd miss this place. Also, who's crying? Not me. Not manly tears. You're...confused.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: Xander's blowing off his classes...
Word Count: 770
Rating: Gen
Also, man, I didn't think I'd miss this place. Also, who's crying? Not me. Not manly tears. You're...confused.
~Dreamer~
Main Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Iron Man Crossover (Self-Made Hero)
Summary: Xander's blowing off his classes...
Word Count: 770
Rating: Gen
Ordinarily, with the stomping Willow’s doing, Xander would’ve noticed her coming. It’s the fact that she’s moving so fast that catches him by surprise, and that’s not a good thing when wielding a welding torch. He nearly burns his glove and quickly drops the torch. Fortunately, it’s got a handle, so the flow of oxygen quickly turns off and stops the flame. “Woah, woah, no surprises in the workshop, people. Danger. Fire burns.”
Willow’s got her lips pursed and she’s on a mission. He’s not sure what crusade she’s on, but he needs her to understand this little point.
“Seriously, Willow, light of Sunnydale, I get that you’re upset about something, but we take our risks out there on patrols, not in here. I could’ve seriously hurt myself.”
She sighs and lets her shoulders slump. And of course she’s angry about being made to feel guilty, but he also would prefer not to lose a hand or something. Most of the Starks are a little more safety-conscious than Mr. ‘I’m gonna cut through a container labeled flammable with a homemade particle accelerator laser’. Especially with loved ones they care about in harm’s way.
“Okay, I promise. I’ll be more careful next time.” It’s a quick promise, but she means it, he can tell. Which is why he lets it slide. “You haven’t been going to your electrical engineering classes,” she says, and he sighs.
“That’s true,” he acknowledges, pulling off the gloves. Oh, huh, it’s been five hours, he should probably eat something. Way to have my back, guys. They’re pretty much all sheepish. “Who told you? Chuck?” He grabs one of the energy bars and a soda he keeps stacked next to the workbench in his warehouse abode-slash-workshop and finds he suddenly doesn’t have enough hands to deal with everything. He ends up tearing the packaging apart with his teeth as he twists the cap off the bottle.
“Xander, school is important! I know you’re not taking the computer class seriously, either, but just because you have your own company doesn’t mean you don’t need to think about your future, you know. How’s it going to look if you didn’t even graduate from college?” She’s wearing her pouty, disappointed face. He knows without having to look.
“’ouldn’ be the firf.” He chews a little more and swallows quickly, realizing the second the words came out of his mouth that it was the wrong approach to take, and he knows she understood him even through the food because she’s known him for a long time. “What I meant is that there are a lot of famous scientists throughout history who didn’t exactly get along well with school—Edison for one—but that’s not the point. You know, I actually do plan on seeing this through. I just…” He hesitates, knowing it’ll be a touchy subject for Willow, but she does deserve an answer, after all. “I’m just…I didn’t think about it, beforehand, but I’m getting really bored.”
“I know it’s not comic books, but…”
And he shakes his head firmly and takes a big drink. “You’re talking to Xander 2.0,” he reminds her. “I…Just think about it, Wils. Most of the Starks are from the future.”
She blinks, but she’s obviously still not getting his point, so it’s try and try again.
He settles against the workbench because he’s feeling awkward. “Well, it’s…a lot of this stuff, it’s…It’s ten, fifteen years old of date. As a history lesson, it’s fascinating. Watching computers develop is kinda cool, but the only reason I’m still going to that class is ‘cause you’re there. I’m getting bored, Willow,” he emphasizes, and abruptly realizes he’s whining.
She’s just very quiet and her eyes keep getting bigger as he’s speaking, and at the end she apologizes. “I didn’t realize, Xander, I’m sorry.”
He waves it off, and the practical Willow instantly moves on to the details of the situation. “What are you going to do?”
“Keep up with the electrical engineering, read the book so I’ve got a clue where we’ve gotten at this time, just show up for tests. ‘Cause it’s easy. And…” He sighs. “I’m thinking about double majoring in something like Biochem. It’s got the same problem, but it’s Bruce’s area, not mine, so it’ll be new and keep my interest.”
She hugs him unexpectedly. “You really should tell me about this, you know, or they’ll revoke my Best Friend badge.”
He reacts with mock horror. “Can’t have that!” And while he’s at it, he kisses the top of her head, because she will always be his Willow and will always be crucial.
Willow’s got her lips pursed and she’s on a mission. He’s not sure what crusade she’s on, but he needs her to understand this little point.
“Seriously, Willow, light of Sunnydale, I get that you’re upset about something, but we take our risks out there on patrols, not in here. I could’ve seriously hurt myself.”
She sighs and lets her shoulders slump. And of course she’s angry about being made to feel guilty, but he also would prefer not to lose a hand or something. Most of the Starks are a little more safety-conscious than Mr. ‘I’m gonna cut through a container labeled flammable with a homemade particle accelerator laser’. Especially with loved ones they care about in harm’s way.
“Okay, I promise. I’ll be more careful next time.” It’s a quick promise, but she means it, he can tell. Which is why he lets it slide. “You haven’t been going to your electrical engineering classes,” she says, and he sighs.
“That’s true,” he acknowledges, pulling off the gloves. Oh, huh, it’s been five hours, he should probably eat something. Way to have my back, guys. They’re pretty much all sheepish. “Who told you? Chuck?” He grabs one of the energy bars and a soda he keeps stacked next to the workbench in his warehouse abode-slash-workshop and finds he suddenly doesn’t have enough hands to deal with everything. He ends up tearing the packaging apart with his teeth as he twists the cap off the bottle.
“Xander, school is important! I know you’re not taking the computer class seriously, either, but just because you have your own company doesn’t mean you don’t need to think about your future, you know. How’s it going to look if you didn’t even graduate from college?” She’s wearing her pouty, disappointed face. He knows without having to look.
“’ouldn’ be the firf.” He chews a little more and swallows quickly, realizing the second the words came out of his mouth that it was the wrong approach to take, and he knows she understood him even through the food because she’s known him for a long time. “What I meant is that there are a lot of famous scientists throughout history who didn’t exactly get along well with school—Edison for one—but that’s not the point. You know, I actually do plan on seeing this through. I just…” He hesitates, knowing it’ll be a touchy subject for Willow, but she does deserve an answer, after all. “I’m just…I didn’t think about it, beforehand, but I’m getting really bored.”
“I know it’s not comic books, but…”
And he shakes his head firmly and takes a big drink. “You’re talking to Xander 2.0,” he reminds her. “I…Just think about it, Wils. Most of the Starks are from the future.”
She blinks, but she’s obviously still not getting his point, so it’s try and try again.
He settles against the workbench because he’s feeling awkward. “Well, it’s…a lot of this stuff, it’s…It’s ten, fifteen years old of date. As a history lesson, it’s fascinating. Watching computers develop is kinda cool, but the only reason I’m still going to that class is ‘cause you’re there. I’m getting bored, Willow,” he emphasizes, and abruptly realizes he’s whining.
She’s just very quiet and her eyes keep getting bigger as he’s speaking, and at the end she apologizes. “I didn’t realize, Xander, I’m sorry.”
He waves it off, and the practical Willow instantly moves on to the details of the situation. “What are you going to do?”
“Keep up with the electrical engineering, read the book so I’ve got a clue where we’ve gotten at this time, just show up for tests. ‘Cause it’s easy. And…” He sighs. “I’m thinking about double majoring in something like Biochem. It’s got the same problem, but it’s Bruce’s area, not mine, so it’ll be new and keep my interest.”
She hugs him unexpectedly. “You really should tell me about this, you know, or they’ll revoke my Best Friend badge.”
He reacts with mock horror. “Can’t have that!” And while he’s at it, he kisses the top of her head, because she will always be his Willow and will always be crucial.
