It was always an accident, of course. They never purposely sought the other out. Not even the time Will drove three miles out of his way to go the grocery store that just so happened to be near where Buffy was staying. He was totally surprised to see Buffy there. Truly. And the fact that they spent the rest of the afternoon back at Luke's place discussing the pro's and con's of herbal pain relief was just something that happened. Or the time that Buffy just felt like taking a little trip to stop by Xander's to say hey when she knew he was hanging out with Will. Or even the time when Will offered to pick up some of the herbal medicine that he didn't even believe in for Dru from The Magic Box. And persuading him to hang out and close up the shop with her was just for convenience, Buffy told herself. Honestly.
It's not like they were friends or anything. Will was just her big brother's buddy. And Buffy was just his little sister's best friend. They were just two people who happened to have known each other for a really long time, and were only just now realizing that being around the other wasn't actually as painful as they had originally thought.
But they didn't exactly hate spending time together, either.
“Fire on 123 Court Street!” Sid, Will's Officer in Charge yelled out. “Let's go! Now!”
Will turned to Fritz with a frown on his face at they climbed into the truck. “123 Court Street? That sounds familiar...”
“It's right in town,” Fritz replied, his usual foolish behaviour forgotten as he got into work mode.
It wasn't until they arrived at Court Street a speedy minute later that Will realized why 123 sounded so familiar, and his heart began to thud painfully in his chest as the truth dawned.
“It's where Buffy's living,” he stressed desperately to Fritz.
“The blonde from the bar?”
He could only nod in reply.
The truck pulled to a stop and Fritz glanced from the apartment – black smoke billowing out of the windows included – to Will's stricken face. “She might not be in there.”
“You think?”
“Sure, buddy.” Fritz gripped Will's shoulder. “Come on, now. Game face, yeah? Gotta think with a clear head or people are gonna get hurt.”
Will nodded, and followed Fritz out of the truck.
While the rest of their team worked to put out the flames, Fritz and Will partnered up to search for people inside. Luke was the first they came across, already stumbling towards the door. They helped him out and deposited him into the arms of a paramedic.
“Is anyone else inside?” Will demanded. “Is Buffy in there?”
Luke pulled off the oxygen mask the paramedic had just given him and shook his head desperately. “I don't know!” he cried. “Buffy and Willow went out for dinner and and I left some candles burning so they could see when they got back because I knew it would be dark. I fell asleep. What time is it? They said they'd be back by eleven.”
Will's eyes widened. “It's twelve fifteen.”
“Oh God!”
Fritz and Will hurriedly re-entered the burning building, calling out over the flames. Fritz grabbed Will's arms when he heard a voice.
“Help! Help us!”
“That was from the kitchen,” Will yelled to Fritz.
He led the way, and had to kick in the door, which was already being attacked by fire.
“Buffy?!” he shouted. “Willow?!”
A little flash of red peeked out from under the kitchen table. “Will!” Willow cried gratefully. As Will and Fritz rushed to her, she crawled out from under the table, pulling a barely conscious Buffy with her. She coughed heavily as Fritz scooped her up into his arms. “Wait! Buffy!”
“Will's got her, don't worry! Is there anyone else in the apartment?”
“Luke!”
“He's okay, he's already out. Anyone else?”
“No.”
Fritz looked back at the doorway, which was now sealed off by the fire, and at Will, holding a violently coughing Buffy in his arms. The smoke was beginning to get to him, and his oxygen was running out. “Window?” He gestured to the large one behind Will.
Will nodded.
“Thank you, Andrew,” Buffy said to the paramedic, after he had finished giving her oxygen and tending to her.
“I'll be back in a minute to drive you to hospital,” he told her. “Just have to check on the others one last time.”
She nodded and looked back at the charred remains of Luke's apartment. She could only thank God that Will and his team had gotten there in time to stop it from spreading.
Nearby, Willow and Fritz had their heads together and were making quiet conversation. By the sultry gaze Willow was giving him, Buffy suspected that he was going to be getting an extra special thank you for saving her life that night.
“I'm off duty in an hour,” Buffy overheard him murmur.
Will rolled his eyes as he sat down next to Buffy in the ambulance. “He's got all the professionalism of a stoned rubber duck.” He grinned when Buffy giggled. “You might want to warn your friend. Fritz likes to see himself as a bit of a player.”
She smiled weakly. “Then it sounds like they're perfect for each other. Trust me, Willow can handle herself.”
“That's good, then. How are you feeling now?”
“Good, I guess. I mean, it feels like I've just smoked a pack of sixty, and I think I might still be in shock, but good. Andrew gave me some oxygen, which was nifty.”
“You know Andrew?”
“Yeah. We grew up on the same street.”
“Oh yeah, that's right. Good paramedic. Mad as a hatter, though. Is he taking you into hospital?”
“Yeah. Just to get checked over.” She took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. “Will, I just don't know how to thank-”
“Are you ready to go?” Andrew was back, Luke and Willow behind him.
Buffy nodded and looked up at Will. “Talk to you later?”
“Sure.”
It was nearly three am by the time Buffy was finally released from hospital. She spoke briefly to Willow, who was already feeling much better and planning to spend the night back at Fritz's place. Buffy felt obliged to pass on Will's warning, but Willow just smiled and declared it 'Even better'.
And then she spent a good fifteen minutes listening to Luke, who seemed unable to stop apologizing. He offered to let her stay with him at his parents, but she politely declined – way too awkward after what his dad had caught them doing in the garden shed back in their high school years.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she finally walked out of the hospital doors. It was cold out, but she could take a big, deep breath of cool, fresh air, and that was something she wouldn't be taking for granted any time soon.
“Hey,” a voice called out to her from the left.
She turned, somehow unsurprised to find Will leaning against the wall. Without thinking, she stepped closer and threw her arms around his neck. He clung on to her just as tightly.
“You saved my life,” she mumbled into his jacket, her whole body trembling. “I could've died in there but you saved me. Saying thank you just seems so...so...so much of an understatement.”
He buried his nose into her hair. It smelt of smoke and hospitals. “I almost went mad when I found out it was your place. Just the thought of you being in there...If anything had of happened to you...” His grip of her tightened even more.
After a long while, she pulled back and looked up at him. “Were you waiting here for me?”
“Wanted to make sure you were okay.”
She smiled sweetly. “Well, I am. Thanks to you. Are you?”
“Yeah. Running into burning buildings is kind of what I'm trained for. What are you going to do now?”
“Do you mean long term, or just tonight?”
“Bit of both.”
“Well, thankfully I won't have to deal with all the insurance because it wasn't my place. Poor Luke will have to-”
Will snorted. “Poor Luke? That idiot almost had you-”
“Will! It was an accident!”
“Yeah, well.” His nostrils flared as he reigned in his rage. “Probably best if I don't bump into him for a while.”
Buffy laughed. “Luke's a giant.”
“So. I'm like a rabid little pitbull when I'm pissed off. All teeth.”
“Aw, you're so cute when you're all righteous and protective.”
He blushed and leaned back against the wall. “Where are you gonna live now?”
“I'll probably go back to my mom's until I can find somewhere. Maybe I'll go wild and actually rent somewhere of my own.”
“Is that where you're headed now? To your mum's? I could drive you if you like?”
“A ride would be great, thanks. But not to my mom's. I don't wanna barge in at this time, especially with the twins staying over. I'm gonna stay at a hotel tonight, and call round in the morning.”
“You shouldn't be alone tonight after the fire. You might still be in shock.”
“It's cool, I'll be fine.”
“You could stay with me?” he blurted. Had he really just invited Buffy to stay with him? At his apartment? Overnight? Was he mad?
She opened and closed her mouth, looking a little lost. “That's okay. I'd hate to impose-”
“No, I insist.” What was he doing? “I'd hate to think of you alone right now.”
“Okay.” Buffy smiled and nodded gratefully. “That'd be nice.”
Oh hell.
Neither had quite anticipated just how awkward it would be once they actually arrived back at Will's place. Things were silent as he let her in, and then they both just stood in the hall, not really knowing what to say.
“Uh...this way,” Will instructed eventually, leading her down the hall and into the lounge.
Though Will had stopped by Luke's a time or two, Buffy had never visited Will at his place before, and she looked around curiously. It was stylish – a little too stylish, like it belonged inside a magazine. All black and white and posh furnishings.
“Cordelia pick this out?” she guessed.
“How'd you know?”
She shrugged. “I don't know. It's just...not very you.”
“Yeah? What is me?”
“Maybe...something more colourful?”
Before he and Cordelia had gotten together, the place had been filled with art. His sofa had been a big, bright red thing Dru had pointed out for him, and most of the rest of his furniture had been things belonging to his Aunt Emily before she died. It had felt like home then.
He thought maybe Buffy understood him in a way that Cordelia never had.
It kind of frightened him.
He let her use her shower, and wear some of his clothes. The whole thing was very intimate. He even made coffee, which they both drank silently, sat awkwardly at opposite ends of his sofa.
“Right. So...the bedroom is through there,” he told her, pointing towards a closed door. “If you need anything, help yourself. Or I'll be here on the sofa.”
She stood up. “Thank you again for saving my life. If I knew how I could repay you...”
“I was just doing my job.”
“Still...Well, goodnight.”
Just stand up and kiss her. It was all he'd wanted to do all night. It was all he'd wanted to do for weeks. “Yeah, night.”
Buffy walked into his bedroom and clicked the door shut behind her. Biting her lip, she looked over at his large bed.
Will's bed. Bed of Will. It probably smelt just like him.
She didn't know when she'd become such a chicken. Maybe it was just him, because if she'd wanted a man before, she'd just told him. Or maybe it was because he was Dru's brother, or Xander's best friend. Or maybe she was just making excuses.
But before she could ponder it any further, the door was flung open behind her, and Will was walking into the room with an oh so determined look on his face.
And then he was right in her face and grabbing her cheeks between his two calloused hands and kissing the holy hell out of her and oh...oh...oh he was good at it.
Long moments passed before they pulled apart.
Buffy's chest rose up and down as her breathing became heavier the longer he looked down at her with that stormy look in his eyes. She nodded to herself. “Yeah, okay.” And then she leaned forwards to place her lips back on his.
It was all the invitation Will needed. He slid his hands down to her butt, lifted her up and stumbled towards the bed.