The Iron is Hot - Cordelia & Wesley
Till the End
by argheva
Contact: argheva@hotmail.com
Pairing: Cordelia/Wesley
Rating: PG
Summary: Cordelia and Wesley's relationship throughout the Seasons. Starting in S1 and ending in an AU S3.
Author Notes: My apologies for the Ricky Martin comment.
Feedback: Would be greatly appreciated.
Part One: Personal Bubble
A hand on her thigh, her shoulder, the small of her back. It’s so familiar she hardly notices it anymore. He does it without thinking and she doesn’t mind. It’s called friendship.
He’ll be pointing at the screen in front of her, his lips an inch away from her ear, telling her what to look for. She’ll roll her eyes at him and say something rude and biting. He’ll give her a look and go back to his books.
She is sitting across from a potential client, looking concerned, and he’s sitting so close to her, she might as well be in his lap. He tells the client he will have the boss get on it right away. Then he turns to give her a quick smile. She smiles back and gets up and asks the client about their billing information.
He gently brushes her hair away from her face as she describes the newest big ugly. She squints her eyes in pain and he rubs her back in soothing circles. Except it’s not him that’s rubbing her back, it’s Angel. Wesley never touches her when she’s hurting. He hands her some aspirin and waits for her to start ranting about the PTB, which she always does. But he never says a thing or tries to comfort her with a hug. It bothers her that she notices this. It’s not like she needs to be fussed over anyway.
Part Two: Gay-esque
Sometimes she thinks he might be gay. That would explain his private jokes with Gunn. It wouldn’t explain his fashion sense or that thing with Virginia.
She thinks he would tell her if he was. They’d be like “Will & Grace” except she would be the one giving the fashion advice. She’s thinking about bringing it up one day, casual-like, maybe asking him what he thinks of Ricky Martin.
They are both in a local bar looking for the short stubby man she saw in her vision. They’ve been there for twenty minutes and she’s bored so she decides to order a drink. Wesley is complaining about her lack of patience when he starts to trail off. She turns her head to see what’s wrong and finds him staring in the direction of a tall blonde woman standing by the pool table. She frowns and is about to say something until she spots the short stubby man.
Part Three: Regal Fighting
He’s doing that head swivel thing he always does when he’s frustrated. She knows this because he does it whenever she interrupts him while he’s researching. Right now, he’s doing it because she put the what-ya-mahoozit dagger with the who-cares axe. Apparently that’s a big no-no.
“Cordeee!” He whines; putting an emphasis on the DY. Usually she loves the way he says her name. He makes it sound the way it was meant to, regal. But right now he’s making it sound like a straggled cat.
She turns around abruptly, holding the dagger dangerously close to his chest. He stops in mid lecture and lifts an eyebrow. She narrows her eyes at him, daring him to say something. He doesn’t and Gunn takes the opportunity to make a joke. She sighs and tosses the dagger on top of the weapons pile. She goes back to work.
Part Four: Changes
He tells her he doesn’t know what to do. He’s asking for her help, which is probably the first. She’s scared because she knows this could change everything. She takes a moment to look him in the eye and realizes he has never needed her more. She takes his hand in hers and tells him she knows what to do.
He puts Connor in her arms as he adjusts the car seat. She slides past him and straps Connor in tightly. He awkwardly holds the passenger’s door open for her before getting in the car himself.
He puts the keys into the ignition and is about to start the car when he looks straight at her.
“Are you sure?” he asks.
She nods.
Part Five: Home
She’s laughing. A big, natural toothy laugh. Her first in weeks. Except she doesn’t think about that, she looks at him instead. He’s laughing too, all crow’s feet and that distinct Wesley smile. She leans towards him and kisses him full on the lips. She can feel his demeanor change instantly as he opens his mouth to hers. She’s tugging on his shirt collar when they hear a soft wail coming from the other room.
She breaks apart reluctantly and grins as she watches him wipe her saliva from his lips. She gets up from the couch and walks into the other room. She takes Connor’s crying form into her arms and starts to slowly sway back and forth. She can see Wesley’s reflection in the window as he stands in the doorway behind her.
It’s not the life she expected, but at times like these, Cordelia doesn’t mind.
The End