A New Normal
Dec. 6th, 2022 10:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamereither they changed how the lotro mailbox works or I am completely stupid but either way I lost over 500 items and am not a happy camper. I said uber boss was the definition of despair but I'm not sure. Comparing isn't really possible, given that this year went better on uber boss, though, so.
at least the fic is fun?
Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry/Resident Evil/Background NCIS Crossover
Chapter Summary: Xander explains the Scooby strength test.
Word Count: 1659
Rating: Teen (16+?)
Pairing: Leon/Xander
Buffy barely appears & Andrew is merely talked about but I thought I'd tag them anyway.
Warning: it's not in-depth, but there is a discussion of sex and a reference to Faith & several of Xander's other relationships. It's roundabout but it's not just an innuendo either so it's one of the few I'm confident on the rating. (I nearly wrote ranking. whoops)
“Okay, show’s over! Get back to training,” Buffy insists, and as they walk out Xander grabs a towel from one of the racks, handing it to Leon, who wipes his face.
“You got a water fountain around here?” They head past a gym which honestly looks better than the governmental ones or the paid membership one he’d taken Xander to. At the time, he’d mostly been thinking he paid for it, so his friends deserved to get some use out of it, too, and maybe subconsciously in an effort to show off, but by the looks of things he was wasting his time. The Council clearly had its priorities—good ones, really, but they needed at minimum to make sure all the non-priorities worked without intervention, too.
“Better,” Xander tells him with a grin and leads him right into the next room. It’s not a kitchen, exactly, as it only has a microwave and a single-serve blender, no stove or any other cooking device, but the counters are covered in what Leon can only describe as an army of jerky and snack bars, and he can only imagine what the cabinets hold. “Catch,” the man suggests and throws a thermos, which the agent, starting to shake a little from the workout, nearly drops. Nearly.
Xander pulls his own out and closes the refrigerator again.
“We were talking about logistics, and I thought Andrew was terrifying before, but man, give him a spreadsheet and the authority to feed the whole operation and I think we might be creating a Sith, giving him too much power,” his boyfriend rambles before taking a sip from the thermos and closing his eye.
The contents, apparently, are a shake, and it’s really good.
“Didn’t you say before that he was a former warlock? Isn’t that basically an ex-Sith anyway?” Leon snorts, deciding the better part of valor is sitting down before his aching legs do it for him. Luckily, there’s a small table and a few chairs in the room, so it’s easy enough for him to fix.
Xander looks up with alarm, leaning against the cabinets for possibly much the same reasons. “I will pay you to never mention that to him. We’ll never stop hearing about it.”
“I could be persuaded to take a date as payment,” Leon suggests, smiling into the thermos as he notes the beginnings of a shake mustache matching his own.
“But I’m already kinda…I mean, this is sorta…” For whatever reason, Redgrave seems hesitant to take that as an excuse.
“I was going to suggest a kiss, but I don’t want to move too fast,” he explains, and Xander laughs, light and happy, and crosses the kitchen, wiping off the yogurt and fruit from his face before dropping a light kiss on Leon’s forehead. The agent is surprised, again, but in a good way. It’s small and sweet but it’s also really, really nice, and Leon finds himself laughing, too.
“Trust me, Leon, my days of getting coerced to do things I don’t want to in a relationship are numbered, namely because from the sound of it that really bothers you,” Xander tells him, chugging the rest. That’s actually really sweet, that he sees a future here and he trusts Leon to take care of him.
“You’re damn right,” he responds hotly, relaxing slightly at the fond, cheerful look he gets in turn. Xander pulls the chair close enough for their shoulders to touch, but he doesn’t continue, which gives Leon a moment to think through what he’s going to say to try to get at the truth. He doesn’t need it, of course, but he’s curious and he’s pretty sure it won’t be a problem to ask about.
“I really thought fighting together would have already shown you I can take care of myself.” He knows maybe it’s hard to get through his head. Redgrave, at first, had treated him just like he was some normal human, partly because he didn’t fit into those easy categories of ‘Slayer’, ‘part-devil’, or ‘witch’.
“I know that,” Xander responds quickly, defensively, and Leon frowns. Huh. Something’s going on, then.
“…Okay, so what was this about?” He wouldn’t be too worried, but the man’s being secretive.
It takes Xander a minute to respond, and when he does it’s under his breath. He won’t meet Leon’s eyes. “I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t break you.”
The blush and general state of embarrassment clue him in. Suddenly, he’s blushing too. He’d thought he was beyond that, but then again, Xander seems to be bringing out his softer side again, too. “Oh. And what did you conclude?”
“That I’m good moving at my own pace and I don’t need to worry about, um. Breaking you.” Xander sighs and finally meets Leon’s eye with an embarrassed gaze. “I, uh. This is a little early to be talking about this, you know, if this was normal. I know it’s not because neither of us really do normal which is why it’s nice that we have each other, but I guess it kind of came up, and I really don’t want to give any false impressions or anything, but I really wanted to make sure before this got too far because I’ve seen relationships like that, mostly with Buffy, and on her end she’d dated a normal army dude so there was a little of trying to convince both of us it’d be fine, but most of it is stuff that you don’t want to talk about but I wanted to be up front and I wanted to make sure—”
When he finally notices the fond smile, he finally takes a breath, leaning in a little further to rest his head on Leon’s shoulder. “Right. I should definitely start the story at the beginning. I mean, I already told you some of this, but mostly the overall summary, not the details. Which look like this. A lot of my relationships were more physical than I wanted. I mean, not that I didn’t want sex; I was a hormonal teenage boy. But a lot of them primarily ended up being more physical, and, like I said, it didn’t bother me, necessarily, but I wanted more. I kept thinking there should be more, that an emotional connection should’ve been made because that’s how I’m wired, and it’s gotten me into trouble.”
Leon definitely doesn’t like that, but he purposefully relaxes. Xander felt the tension, he knows, but imitating a demon or guard dog and growling at anyone who even looks at Xander wrong isn’t going to help the situation. “You’re worth waiting for,” he states with certainty instead, and it’s his turn to feel the sudden tension because the half-devil wasn’t expecting that.
Still, it only takes Xander a second to actually respond, this time. “So are you.”
Leon grins and puts an arm around Redgrave’s shoulders. The half-devil sighs contentedly and snuggles in.
“So yeah, it makes sense I’m thinking about this, even though I don’t think it’ll come up anytime soon, between our schedules and the whole romance bit and everything. And once I get started thinking, worrying is not far behind, and it all spirals from there.” Self-depreciating humor. Honestly, they both need to stop. “And, well. Anya might’ve been an ex-demon, but if I had to guess I’d say she kept some of the resilience and stamina and stuff. But I was worried about you and I really don’t want to hurt you and—” He’s going to start babbling again, which usually Leon doesn’t mind, but this babbling is nervous, anxious babbling, so this time he interrupts.
“That makes two of us,” he insists firmly, and feels the half-devil smile into his shoulder. Surprisingly, Xander doesn’t turn that into a joke, something about ‘oh, you’re not a masochist’ or whatever.
“But now I’ve made sure of that, so I can stop thinking about it and concentrate on saving the world and fixing our operations and hanging out with my hot new boyfriend without expectation or worry,” he continues, more relaxed.
“Just so you know, I’m fine with taking things slow. You’ve seen enough of me just being my friend to know that while I don’t always seem like it I’ve still got that romantic boy scout in me.” Them being friends first is such a blessing when it comes to the romance side.
Apparently it takes Xander a second to think that through. “Oh. Right.”
“So this relationship is pressure free, babe. We’ll feel our way through, whatever feels right. And if you’re feeling pressure or if someone else is suggesting the way things should go, ignore that. We’re redefining our new normal.” Apparently, for once, he’s chosen the right words, emphasizing something that they both care about, a reason that they both were invested in this relationship.
“That makes me feel a lot better. And I’m pretty sure it makes you feel better, too, no matter how cool you try to play it, Mr. Cool Agent.” They’d both gotten to know each other better than he’d realized. He hadn’t even realized that himself.
He nods. “It’s good for our peace of mind.” He pauses, and then decides that’s enough serious talk for one day. “So, seen any good zombie movies lately?” he asks, and feels Xander still, again.
“Wait, but you—it’s not a phobia, is it.” He starts laughing a little, burying his face a little further in Leon’s shoulder. “Why did I not get that? Sure, I hadn’t read your file then, but—” He sounds a little chagrined but mostly amused.
“We both had a lot to think about.” Xander’d brought life and laughter back into the situation, just as he had the rest of Leon’s life, just a new perspective, and that alone makes this all worth it. And he’s doing the same for Xander, from the sound of it, which just makes this all better.
at least the fic is fun?
Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry/Resident Evil/Background NCIS Crossover
Chapter Summary: Xander explains the Scooby strength test.
Word Count: 1659
Rating: Teen (16+?)
Pairing: Leon/Xander
Buffy barely appears & Andrew is merely talked about but I thought I'd tag them anyway.
Warning: it's not in-depth, but there is a discussion of sex and a reference to Faith & several of Xander's other relationships. It's roundabout but it's not just an innuendo either so it's one of the few I'm confident on the rating. (I nearly wrote ranking. whoops)
“Okay, show’s over! Get back to training,” Buffy insists, and as they walk out Xander grabs a towel from one of the racks, handing it to Leon, who wipes his face.
“You got a water fountain around here?” They head past a gym which honestly looks better than the governmental ones or the paid membership one he’d taken Xander to. At the time, he’d mostly been thinking he paid for it, so his friends deserved to get some use out of it, too, and maybe subconsciously in an effort to show off, but by the looks of things he was wasting his time. The Council clearly had its priorities—good ones, really, but they needed at minimum to make sure all the non-priorities worked without intervention, too.
“Better,” Xander tells him with a grin and leads him right into the next room. It’s not a kitchen, exactly, as it only has a microwave and a single-serve blender, no stove or any other cooking device, but the counters are covered in what Leon can only describe as an army of jerky and snack bars, and he can only imagine what the cabinets hold. “Catch,” the man suggests and throws a thermos, which the agent, starting to shake a little from the workout, nearly drops. Nearly.
Xander pulls his own out and closes the refrigerator again.
“We were talking about logistics, and I thought Andrew was terrifying before, but man, give him a spreadsheet and the authority to feed the whole operation and I think we might be creating a Sith, giving him too much power,” his boyfriend rambles before taking a sip from the thermos and closing his eye.
The contents, apparently, are a shake, and it’s really good.
“Didn’t you say before that he was a former warlock? Isn’t that basically an ex-Sith anyway?” Leon snorts, deciding the better part of valor is sitting down before his aching legs do it for him. Luckily, there’s a small table and a few chairs in the room, so it’s easy enough for him to fix.
Xander looks up with alarm, leaning against the cabinets for possibly much the same reasons. “I will pay you to never mention that to him. We’ll never stop hearing about it.”
“I could be persuaded to take a date as payment,” Leon suggests, smiling into the thermos as he notes the beginnings of a shake mustache matching his own.
“But I’m already kinda…I mean, this is sorta…” For whatever reason, Redgrave seems hesitant to take that as an excuse.
“I was going to suggest a kiss, but I don’t want to move too fast,” he explains, and Xander laughs, light and happy, and crosses the kitchen, wiping off the yogurt and fruit from his face before dropping a light kiss on Leon’s forehead. The agent is surprised, again, but in a good way. It’s small and sweet but it’s also really, really nice, and Leon finds himself laughing, too.
“Trust me, Leon, my days of getting coerced to do things I don’t want to in a relationship are numbered, namely because from the sound of it that really bothers you,” Xander tells him, chugging the rest. That’s actually really sweet, that he sees a future here and he trusts Leon to take care of him.
“You’re damn right,” he responds hotly, relaxing slightly at the fond, cheerful look he gets in turn. Xander pulls the chair close enough for their shoulders to touch, but he doesn’t continue, which gives Leon a moment to think through what he’s going to say to try to get at the truth. He doesn’t need it, of course, but he’s curious and he’s pretty sure it won’t be a problem to ask about.
“I really thought fighting together would have already shown you I can take care of myself.” He knows maybe it’s hard to get through his head. Redgrave, at first, had treated him just like he was some normal human, partly because he didn’t fit into those easy categories of ‘Slayer’, ‘part-devil’, or ‘witch’.
“I know that,” Xander responds quickly, defensively, and Leon frowns. Huh. Something’s going on, then.
“…Okay, so what was this about?” He wouldn’t be too worried, but the man’s being secretive.
It takes Xander a minute to respond, and when he does it’s under his breath. He won’t meet Leon’s eyes. “I wanted to make sure I wouldn’t break you.”
The blush and general state of embarrassment clue him in. Suddenly, he’s blushing too. He’d thought he was beyond that, but then again, Xander seems to be bringing out his softer side again, too. “Oh. And what did you conclude?”
“That I’m good moving at my own pace and I don’t need to worry about, um. Breaking you.” Xander sighs and finally meets Leon’s eye with an embarrassed gaze. “I, uh. This is a little early to be talking about this, you know, if this was normal. I know it’s not because neither of us really do normal which is why it’s nice that we have each other, but I guess it kind of came up, and I really don’t want to give any false impressions or anything, but I really wanted to make sure before this got too far because I’ve seen relationships like that, mostly with Buffy, and on her end she’d dated a normal army dude so there was a little of trying to convince both of us it’d be fine, but most of it is stuff that you don’t want to talk about but I wanted to be up front and I wanted to make sure—”
When he finally notices the fond smile, he finally takes a breath, leaning in a little further to rest his head on Leon’s shoulder. “Right. I should definitely start the story at the beginning. I mean, I already told you some of this, but mostly the overall summary, not the details. Which look like this. A lot of my relationships were more physical than I wanted. I mean, not that I didn’t want sex; I was a hormonal teenage boy. But a lot of them primarily ended up being more physical, and, like I said, it didn’t bother me, necessarily, but I wanted more. I kept thinking there should be more, that an emotional connection should’ve been made because that’s how I’m wired, and it’s gotten me into trouble.”
Leon definitely doesn’t like that, but he purposefully relaxes. Xander felt the tension, he knows, but imitating a demon or guard dog and growling at anyone who even looks at Xander wrong isn’t going to help the situation. “You’re worth waiting for,” he states with certainty instead, and it’s his turn to feel the sudden tension because the half-devil wasn’t expecting that.
Still, it only takes Xander a second to actually respond, this time. “So are you.”
Leon grins and puts an arm around Redgrave’s shoulders. The half-devil sighs contentedly and snuggles in.
“So yeah, it makes sense I’m thinking about this, even though I don’t think it’ll come up anytime soon, between our schedules and the whole romance bit and everything. And once I get started thinking, worrying is not far behind, and it all spirals from there.” Self-depreciating humor. Honestly, they both need to stop. “And, well. Anya might’ve been an ex-demon, but if I had to guess I’d say she kept some of the resilience and stamina and stuff. But I was worried about you and I really don’t want to hurt you and—” He’s going to start babbling again, which usually Leon doesn’t mind, but this babbling is nervous, anxious babbling, so this time he interrupts.
“That makes two of us,” he insists firmly, and feels the half-devil smile into his shoulder. Surprisingly, Xander doesn’t turn that into a joke, something about ‘oh, you’re not a masochist’ or whatever.
“But now I’ve made sure of that, so I can stop thinking about it and concentrate on saving the world and fixing our operations and hanging out with my hot new boyfriend without expectation or worry,” he continues, more relaxed.
“Just so you know, I’m fine with taking things slow. You’ve seen enough of me just being my friend to know that while I don’t always seem like it I’ve still got that romantic boy scout in me.” Them being friends first is such a blessing when it comes to the romance side.
Apparently it takes Xander a second to think that through. “Oh. Right.”
“So this relationship is pressure free, babe. We’ll feel our way through, whatever feels right. And if you’re feeling pressure or if someone else is suggesting the way things should go, ignore that. We’re redefining our new normal.” Apparently, for once, he’s chosen the right words, emphasizing something that they both care about, a reason that they both were invested in this relationship.
“That makes me feel a lot better. And I’m pretty sure it makes you feel better, too, no matter how cool you try to play it, Mr. Cool Agent.” They’d both gotten to know each other better than he’d realized. He hadn’t even realized that himself.
He nods. “It’s good for our peace of mind.” He pauses, and then decides that’s enough serious talk for one day. “So, seen any good zombie movies lately?” he asks, and feels Xander still, again.
“Wait, but you—it’s not a phobia, is it.” He starts laughing a little, burying his face a little further in Leon’s shoulder. “Why did I not get that? Sure, I hadn’t read your file then, but—” He sounds a little chagrined but mostly amused.
“We both had a lot to think about.” Xander’d brought life and laughter back into the situation, just as he had the rest of Leon’s life, just a new perspective, and that alone makes this all worth it. And he’s doing the same for Xander, from the sound of it, which just makes this all better.
