Author:
Beta: shakegirl.
Setting: Post-"Not Fade Away."
Rating: R.
Pairing: Buffy/Gunn.
"...I still can't believe you did this. According to Giles..." Buffy frowned, hands on her hips as Angel interrupted her.
"I told Giles what I was doing. And he hung up." Angel glared at her.
"Oh, please."
"Um...guys." Gunn opened his eyes from the hospital bed. He lifted his hand with a grimace on his face and waved.
"Gunn." Angel turned to him. "How do you feel?"
"Like I was run over by an evil demon army. Oh wait, I was."
*****
"He still not talking to you?" Gunn smiled when Buffy walked into the room.
She shook her head. "We're both pretty stubborn." She sat down a tray full of food for him.
"I've noticed." He picked up a fork and nervously stirred some mashed potatoes. "Hospital gourmet. Yum."
"It can't be that bad." Buffy peered at the wobbling jello. Over the past few weeks, she'd made it something of a ritual to bring him dinner. At first it had been for information, Gunn was the only remaining member of Angel's team who talked with her. Illyria only frustrated her, and Angel and Spike tended to brood and stick together.
"You're being quiet." Spoon in hand, Gunn scooped a mouthful of mushy peas.
Buffy wrinkled her nose. "Sorry."
"Got in a fight with them again, didn't you?"
Buffy's hand played with the flowers on the table. The flowers she'd brought to cheer up the room. "They're really impossible. I swear. Angel keeps going on and on about astronauts winning. I used to know what they were talking about. Things were easier when they wanted to kill each other."
"Not part of their in-joke crowd anymore." Gunn sipped milk from a tiny carton.
"It's not just that." She snatched a carrot stick off his plate and bit it in half. "I think he's mad - they're both mad - that neither of them can play the boyfriend card for leverage."
Gunn raised his eyebrow. "Done with them?"
"Done. Gone. The Buffy train has left the station. Baking be damned." She munched on the rest of the carrot.
"Baking?" He frowned at the piece of ham he was supposed to eat. "Is this fatty?"
"Of course, it's ham." Buffy shivered as Gunn shrugged and ate it anyway. "Something I once told Angel - the baking."
"Remind me never to ask."
"Dually noted. Do you think they're..." She sighed. "Nevermind. Guess they had a year by themselves."
Gunn shaved off a chunk of jello with his spoon. It wiggled back and forth. "Did you ever wonder why jello looks like demon goo."
"I don't question things that taste good." Buffy took the spoon from Gunn and ate the jello herself. "Blue raspberry."
"Raspberries aren't neon blue, but Shktna demon blood is." Gunn's face frowned as Buffy ate more of it.
"Mmmm...demon blood." Buffy let the spoon linger in her mouth. "Okay, that even grossed me out." She grinned as Gunn started laughing and laid the spoon down.
Gunn's hand went to his stomach as he laughed harder. The blue also reminded him of Illyria, and he quieted down.
"Don't tell me I said something stupid again?"
"No." Gunn pushed the tray away. "Just me. Sometimes I feel bad for enjoying life."
"Can't stay gloomy all the time, otherwise one of your friends goes evil and other leaves his fiancée at the altar. Learned that one after coming back from the dead the second time."
"You were dead twice?" Gunn's forehead wrinkled. There were so many things Angel refused to tell.
Buffy nodded. "Yep. But the calling wasn't over."
*****
"Hey, look at you, up and about." Buffy walked toward Gunn who was taking a walk in the hospital's garden.
Gunn leaned on a cane as he slowly turned around. "Even discarded the hospital gown."
Buffy handed him a cappuccino and pushed her sunglasses up, perching them on her head. "It was getting kind of ripe. But without it, I can't check out your ass."
He choked on his coffee. "Well wouldn't want Mrs. Johnston next door pinching my other cheeks."
"Might give her something to do." Buffy smiled. "It amazes me how well you know everyone. When I've been in the hospital, all I've been focused on is leaving."
"I've got to get to know the people." Gunn followed Buffy toward the roses. "Angel visited me last night. He was surprised to hear that you were visiting me."
"Hospital fear. It's far too sterile and too much death." Her hand played with the rose petals. "I know, lame excuse for someone whose job is slaying. But after the first fight with Caleb, we had too many in the hospital to avoid my fear." She whirled around. "At least I'm not afraid of the jello."
"It wiggles," Gunn protested. He looked into Buffy's giggling eyes. "Buffy..."
"Yeah." She grinned as he leaned down and kissed her.
*****
Gunn sat in the living room of the Council-rented apartment that he and Buffy shared - for the moment anyway. He'd been released from the hospital a few weeks ago.
Buffy curled up next to him, watching the end of the movie. She'd made sure that Gunn felt like he could have his own room, but he'd spent every night in hers. Holding her when he woke up in the middle of the night as he shouted and sweated, dreaming of what was supposed to be their final battle. She didn't press for more information than he'd already given her.
Her open-ended plane ticket back to Rome sat near the vase of flowers she replaced every morning. When she changed them, part of her wanted to ask Gunn if he would come back with her, but she wasn't sure what they were.
Clicking off the television as the credits rolled, Gunn shifted to face Buffy. "You have that frowny thinking face."
"Sorry." She shook her head.
"Didn't think Pirates of the Caribbean was a brain stumper." He placed a kiss on her brow.
Buffy laughed. "There are deep philosophical thoughts about the conflict of pirates and colonials. And Johnny Depp's eyeliner. You know, you wouldn't look bad..."
"I don't think so. What are you always saying...unmixy things." He raised his eyebrow as she started to tickle him. Instead of resisting her, he tipped his head and kissed her.
"Mmmm...Gunn kissage," she moaned between kisses, "one of my favorite things."
Wrapping his arms around her, Gunn picked her up; Buffy didn't protest in concern for his healing body as he carried her the few feet to the bedroom. His focus narrowed just to her as he pulled off her shirt, exposing her soft skin. Gently, his hand ran over her stomach - a place she swore she hated, but he loved.
She gazed at him as they shirked off the rest of their clothing. Usually they were under the covers or in the dark, but it was light in the room, and she saw every scar on him and he, her.
Gunn's tongue trailed over a long, faint one that went from Buffy's shoulder to down below her breast. Hands ran over her thighs and gently cupped her ass. Moving lower, he placed kisses along her stomach.
"Want you," she moaned in response to his lips against her skin. Reaching to the nightstand, she handed him a condom.
*****
Gunn held the door open as they carried groceries inside. "Just how many doughnuts did you buy?"
"Sure, quiz me, Mr. Lawyer." She sat her bags down on the counter and moved next to him. "You're too skinny." Her hand patted his stomach.
In return, Gunn poked her with his finger, feeling her ribs. "You could use a few too." He opened the fridge and started unloading the groceries.
Walking over to the answering machine, Buffy pushed play to stop the beeping. It was Dawn; she wanted to know when Buffy was coming home, back to Rome. Buffy had avoided answering her sister's e-mails, but Dawn was persistent. "I'd better call her." She picked up the phone.
"Guess we couldn't play forever. You have responsibilities, I get that." Gunn poured himself a glass of orange juice. "She's your sister, and you should be at least on the same continent as her."
"Dawn's almost finished with her schooling, and it seems like every day I'm there, she's too mature for her big sister." Buffy placed her hand over Gunn's. "Besides I like being here."
"Did I ever tell you about my sister, Alonna?" Gunn knew he hadn't. Didn't want to relive the memory of staking her, but he needed to tell Buffy, to explain to her that he understood.
"No. I didn't know you have a sister."
"Had a sister." And Gunn began his tale once Buffy sat down the phone.
*****
Buffy giggled into the phone. "Of course, he's gorgeous. Buffy's boyfriends have a strict five stars of hotness." She looked up as Gunn walked in the door. "Got to go." Clicking the off button, she placed the phone on the counter.
"And how's Dawn and the extraordinary international phone bill you're building?" Gunn smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist.
"She's good. Apparently Andrew keeps sneaking out of the house. Dawn thinks he has a boyfriend." Buffy kissed him. "How was the meeting?"
Sometimes he wondered if she could bear to say their names. "Angel was his usually cheery self. Think he's lost the mission. Spike seems to feel that we need to reform our team."
She shook her head. "Are you going to give the green light?"
"Haven't made up my mind." He moved back from her embrace, hand lacing in hers. "But I have a surprise for you."
"Ooh, I like surprises. At least good ones." She held tightly to his hand as he led her to the car. Opening the door, her hand went to her mouth as she saw a dozen white roses on the seat. "Oh, Gunn." She turned and hugged him.
"There's more." He grinned at her.
*****
Gunn had been taking her out on dates every night since she started talking with Dawn and he began to polish his weapons. Sometimes she stayed out late; he figured that she patrolled, but he didn't ask.
Finally, she set a date to leave. To be in Rome for Dawn's graduation. They didn't talk about it.
"Mail." He dropped a pile of envelopes on her lap. One clearly marked with an airline's name.
She nodded and sorted through it from her perch on the couch.
Settling down next to her, Gunn took a sip of the soda in his hand. "What day and time do you need me to drive you to the airport?"
"It might be more practical to take a cab." She ripped the envelope open.
"I see." He put the soda on the coffee table, wishing it was beer.
"Just thinking that I wouldn't want to leave your truck in airport parking for an unknown amount of time. You know how expensive it is." Buffy smiled and held up two tickets. "What? You think I'd leave you behind?"