FIC: Genuine Old British Guy Tea

[snick_backup]

Title: Genuine Old British Guy Tea
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters: Giles, Buffy
Word Count: ~320 words
Rating: G
Spoilers: Buffy S4 around "Something Blue," when Spike's still chained in Giles' bathtub

Disclaimer: None of these characters are belong to me. They are belong to Whedon, Greenwalt, ME, and co.

A/N: This is a wee ficlet about Giles when he is under the weather, written for dragonpaws when she was also under the weather.

Also, it has been remixed by nothorse into a lovely post-series, comics-compliant ficlet Bitter If Steeped Too Long (The Broken Orange Pekoe Remix).

~~~~~

The lie down hadn't helped at all. When Giles woke his head was still pounding, albeit at a somewhat slower tempo. His throat still ached. And, as he should have known, sleeping on the couch had put an entirely new stiffness in his neck.

"Giles?"

And startling halfway upright did his vertigo no good whatsoever. "Buffy." She hovered next to him with an expression of pert concern that made him close his eyes again. "Buffy, I haven't any instructions for you. I'm sure you'll do fine on patrol."

"And you're miserable, and I should therefore leave you alone."

"If you please." It was a good age at which to die, he thought. He'd be spared all the wretched elderly infirmities.

"Well, I'll just have to give this tea to someone else."

He opened his eyes again. "Tea?"

Yes, there was one of the ridiculous novelty mugs from Jenny in her hands, and yes, vapor did seem to be rising from it. "It's not that blasted bedtime tea your mother makes, is it?" The kind that came in small papery bags -- bloody Americans.

She gave him the mug. "Genuine old British guy tea." It was just a trifle too warm, but the heat soothed his hands. He pushed himself up just far enough to peer into the mug. It looked roughly the color yielded by his specially ordered Darjeeling blend. A few specks of what appeared to be tea leaves floated at the top. Tentatively he lifted it to his lips and sipped. It burned a bit going down, and it was just the right balance of bitter and sharp.

It tasted wonderful.

"However did you learn to make this?"

Buffy started to grin. "I told Spike he'd been away from England too long and didn't know how, and he told me exactly what to do."

He took another sip. Bliss. His throat, at least, felt just some tiny bit better. Then he frowned, which increased the throbbing. "And why is Spike so blessedly quiet?"

The grin widened. "I turned on the TV and then gagged him."

Real tea and a silent vampire. Perhaps he might mend after all.


~Finis

Comments

[angearia.livejournal.com]

"I turned on the TV and then gagged him."

Hee!

Oh this was nice. Good on Buffy for making Giles tea.

[snickfic]

:) Glad you enjoyed.

[deird1]

Go Buffy! She really is good at handling both Giles and Spike, isn't she?

[snickfic]

Definitely. She's a bright girl, is Buffy. :)

[rahirah]

Hee!

[snickfic]

:)

[elisi]

Oh, *lovely*! (And funny too.)

[snickfic]

Yay. Glad you enjoyed. :)

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Awwww - lovely little might-have-been. Thanks!

[snickfic]

Thank you, and you're welcome! :)

[moscow-watcher.livejournal.com]

Hee! Nice and fluffy!

[snickfic]

Definitely. Total fluff. Glad you liked. :)

[brunettepet.livejournal.com]

Buffy mocking the irritating vampire into doing something useful is just wonderful. This in voice mental surrender made me laugh: It was a good age at which to die, he thought. He'd be spared all the wretched elderly infirmities.

[snickfic]

Tee hee. Glad you enjoyed. :)

[brutti-ma-buoni.livejournal.com]

Ah, the healing power of tea. You are wise, grasshopper!

[snickfic]

Well, tea's one of my favorite things when I have a cold, so I may have been projecting a little... *g*

Thanks for the comment!

[next_to_normal]

LOL! Cute.

[snickfic]

Hee, glad you liked. :)

[seapealsh.livejournal.com]

Well done, Buffy! Smart girl. Cute story.

[snickfic]

Thank you!

[phoenixofborg.livejournal.com]

Buffy started to grin. "I told Spike he'd been away from England too long and didn't know how, and he told me exactly what to do."

Well played, Buffy. Well played. ^.^

[snickfic]

Tee hee. Yes. Spike is remarkably easy to play, sometimes... *g*

Following the remix trail back to the source...

[antennapedia.livejournal.com]

Aha, yes, tea, just the thing when an Englishman is sick. And I love the season 4 interplay here: Spike and Buffy getting along at one level while they bicker endlessly at another. And I'm a sucker for Buffy being nice to Giles in small ways, like this one, which is so her.

Re: Following the remix trail back to the source...

[snickfic]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! To be honest, the idea came from the fact that tea is just the thing when I'm sick (even though I use the silly papery bag kind). :)

[kivrin.livejournal.com]

aww! Oh, this is delightful! Just surfed over from the remix. :D

[snickfic]

I'm so glad you enjoyed. :)

[cindergal.livejournal.com]

Hee! I found this because of remix - love it. Off to read the remix, now.

[snickfic]

Glad you enjoyed! The remix is fabulous - much meatier than my little feel-better ficlet. :)

[riccadonna.livejournal.com]

I find this very pleasing because of the two different Buffy flavours: attentive and caring with Giles, to which end she's conned Spike into collaborating and then ruthlessly gagged him--but no, she hasn't been that bad either, because she did turn the TV on!
Mischievous Buffy is lovely.

[snickfic]

Mischievous Buffy is lovely.

She is indeed. I'm glad you enjoyed! This was supposed to be all about Buffy and Giles because those are the characters the person I wrote it for loves best, but as I told her I always have to know what Spike's up to in a story even if he doesn't actually appear. :)

[dampersnspoons.livejournal.com]

HAHAHA! Oh, this was brilliant! You captured Giles' voice so well, and I especially loved the line that it was a good age to die.

Plus, Buffy's absolute joy that she not only tricked Spike into the secrets of proper tea, but gagged him as well. Hilarious!

[snickfic]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Especially, yay to Buffy-joy - she doesn't get very much of it as the series goes on, so I like being able to write it when I can. :)

[artemis-ephesus.livejournal.com]

That's such a cute ficlet! Especially the last line, it just sums up Giles in season 4 so perfectly. Well, what could have been.

[snickfic]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. Giles is awfully fun to write. :)

[thisficklemob.livejournal.com]

Hee!

This line: She hovered next to him with an expression of pert concern that made him close his eyes again. made me smile. I can imagine Buffy being very tiring to a sick Giles.

[snickfic]

But she's trying really hard... :)

I'm glad you enjoyed!

[slaymesoftly.livejournal.com]

Ah, loved this. Buffy's full of surprises, isn't she? And novel ways to achieve her aims. Just so you know, I skipped it at first (on your journal) because you had it as Giles/Buffy which I took to mean as pairing. When I saw Giles, Buffy here, I clicked immediately. :)

[snickfic]

Hah! The friend for whom I wrote this is a big Buffy/Giles fan, but I've never managed to write her any proper B/G fic; this is as close as I come, it seems. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[spygrrl76.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! I love Buffy's cleverness at getting Spike to inadvertantly teach her how to make the perfect cuppa. I also like this small moment of Buffy doing something nice for Giles. A great filling in of the gap. :)

[snickfic]

Hee, yes, my true colors come out: even in a fic about Giles and Buffy, Spike still shows up somehow. I'm glad you enjoyed. :)

[louise39.livejournal.com]

Giggle! Buffy is a clever and caring girl!

[snickfic]

Yeah, she's a smarter girl than people give her credit for, I think. Thanks for the comment. :)

[gillo]

Delightful - and so very like Spike to give the information because his pride's been hurt!

And tea is soothing. Really it is.

[snickfic]

I adore tea. There really is a lot of vicarious tea-adoration in this fic.

Thank you for commenting. :)

[rebcake.livejournal.com]

Wonderful! I'm not sure how I missed this, even with a remix! Every bit is just right. The self-pity, annoying cheeriness, the devious ferreting of classified information, and and the genuine appreciation for a moment of peace. Nifty! Have a cuppa!

[snickfic]

Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed it. :)

[spikes-minion.livejournal.com]

Love! I can easily hear Spike calling Buffy a stupid bint for not knowing how to make tea--and then telling her how, in an exasperated way.

[snickfic]

Yay, thank you! I did quite enjoy writing that bit of off-screen story.

[pssnfrt-ksss.livejournal.com]

I think my favourite part of this is the off-screen interaction between Spike and Buffy. Manipulating him into teaching her how to make tea, and keeping him quiet with the dual aid of a TV and a gag :D

[snickfic]

Hee! Yes, I figure some serious conniving had to have gone on there. I'm glad you enjoyed the fic!