Blink

 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, therefore, I’m not earning any money whatsoever, on this piece of writing. Rupert Giles et al, all belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN and Twentieth Century Fox.

Summary: Giles' stamina, and his ability over whether or not he can keep up with his Slayer have come under scrutiny. So, in an attempt to lay everyone's worries to rest, he sets out to prove them all wrong. This is in response to Gileswench’s Monday Mini-Challenge #60 – Stamina over at GilesRulesBaby!

Pairing: Gen-Fic

Spoilers: None

Rating: FRC

~*~*~*~

Stormy green eyes met with steel blue, Rupert Giles could feel the sweat beading on his forehead. Just because he was nearing his late forties, did not mean he was going to call a halt to this… exercise. He’d been able to hold out much longer when he was younger, fourteen he’d discovered the pure pleasure of being able to last longer then any of the other boys in school.

His hands gripped the table as his partner gave a small grunt of frustration; so far she had tried everything in the books to send him over the edge, all of it failing. He knew she was running out of ways to make him break down and he had to stifle the urge to laugh when he felt Buffy’s foot run along the inside of his thigh. When he didn’t so much as flinch, the petite blond threw herself back against the chair she was sitting on in the middle of The Magic Box, with a sideways glance towards her best friend, she tapped her wrist, “Time?” Her voice wavered slightly and Giles could clearly see that her resolve was as well.

“Fifteen minutes, twenty-nine seconds.” The redhead called from her place on the loft, over looking the store.

“C’mon Buffy,” Giles’ voice held a deadly tone though his eyes were dancing with suppressed mirth, “You can’t possibly be getting tired.” His grin was somewhat dangerous, “After all, this was your idea.” He settled back into his chair once again, taking a deep, relaxing breath.

“Tired?” Buffy shook her head, “I’m just warming up. And for the record, this was Anya’s idea not mine.” She bit down on her bottom lip, forcing herself not to look away. She was not going to lose, least of all to Giles.

“Ahh, but you agreed to it.” He watched as she chewed on her bottom lip and had to keep himself from doing the same to hide his smirk. He’d cleared his mind over everything except the steel blue eyes across from him, the shop had faded away into nothing, even Anya blithering about in the background about the night she’d spent with Xander was now, nothing more then a blur in his mind. It was a technique he’d taught Buffy when they’d first began their work together as Slayer and Watcher, focus on the task at hand, but be mindful of your surroundings. She had obviously forgotten the lesson.

He could hear his heart pounding in his chest as his gaze bored into hers and he could feel a droplet of sweat trickle down past his temple and cheek, hanging precariously from the tip of his chin; quickly, he reached up and wiped it away before continuing his focus on the blond sitting across from him.

“Time?” He called out, his own voice sounding distant to his own ears.

“Twenty minutes and forty-nine seconds.” Willow watched from her place, fascinated that Giles had remained steadfast in this staring contest. She had thought he’d fold after only a few minutes, then, she had figured he’d fold the moment she saw Buffy’s foot disappear from the hardwood floor beneath the tarot table. The four of them, Tara, Anya, Buffy and herself, had all taken the power of Giles’ ‘Hairy Eyeball’ for granted. The only one that seemed to be supporting Giles was Dawn.

A tiny moan escaped the Slayer as she felt her right eye start to twitch; she was so close. If only she could do something… anything… that would make her Watcher flinch, blink; close his eyes, anything that would win her this competition. She did, after all, have twenty dollars riding on this along with two months of Dawn’s chores.

The bell above the door rang, and Giles gave out a bark of laughter as Buffy’s head turned, her eyes blinking rapidly as sunlight streamed in through the open door. “Time!” He called out once again, smirking when Buffy spun back in her seat, her face drained of all its color.

“Twenty-five minutes.” Dawn called out, dancing and clapping.

“That’s not fair!” Buffy’s voice rose above the teasing from her sister. “You…. You… You cheated!”

Giles blinked up at her, running his hands over his face, “Says the girl who all but slid under the table to…” He trailed off, the tips of his ears turning bright red. “I did not cheat Buffy and you know it.” He smiled as he held his hand out, watching as Willow, Tara and Anya all slid twenty-dollar bills into his palm. Turning, he gave Dawn a tiny smile and gave her half of his winnings. “For supporting me when no one else did.” He grinned as she gave him a hug before picking up her purse and rushing out, rambling something about ice cream and a new shirt she’d seen.

Buffy glared at him as she pulled her purse from her bag and placed another twenty dollars on the table. She grumbled about Anya and her stupid ideas, his age and lasting so long before moving towards the training room.

Pocketing the forty dollars he had left, Giles followed her into the training room, chuckling softly; it would be the last time anyone questioned his ability to keep up with his Slayer ever again.

~Fini~