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kat_lair***
Summary: Tea for an uninvited guest…
Author notes: Written during a boozy Scribblers’ Fangirl Weekend to a randomly assigned fandom and prompt ‘kettle’. My second fic for our 100 Fandoms Challenge too. Betaed by HanHathma.
Willow opens the cupboard door and contemplates her ever growing collection of herbal teas. She doesn’t feel like chamomile today, already pretty serene and centred. In fact, perhaps some chocolate chilli tea might just give her the boost of energy needed to push through the last part of her assignment.
“Honey?” she calls upstairs to Tara. “I’m making a drink, do you want one?”
The kettle boils with a whistle that never fails to make her smile. Willow knows an electric one would be quicker but can’t help but love the whole ritual of putting the kettle on the stove and waiting for it to boil, picking out her favourite mug, bowl of sugar sitting prettily on the kitchen counter. She’s not the only one of course. Every time Giles visits and she makes him a cup of tea with her whistling kettle, he seems to relax, posture and expression softening to something almost wistful, even in the middle of a crisis.
She’s prepped her own tea by the time it registers that she hasn’t heard a reply to her earlier question. The kettle still in hand, Willow returns to the foot of the stairs. “Tara? Did you want tea?”
A beat or two of silence and Willow is already frowning, two steps up when there’s a crash and Tara’s voice calling out in distress.
Willow runs upstairs, swinging through their bedroom door with heart in her throat.
Tara is by the window and she’s not alone, something tall and unnaturally sinuous looming over her, its back to the room. Its tail is wrapped around Tara’s legs, blocking any chance of simple escape, and it’s somehow fast enough to simply dodge every spell she’s sending in its direction.
Willow inhales sharply, afraid and angry, and raises her arms, ready to hurl a few curses in the monster’s direction herself, when her eyes catch the half-full kettle still dangling from her hand. Perhaps magic isn’t the way here.
With soft steps she circles behind the creature and swings the kettle around in an almost graceful arch, both hands around the handle like an Olympic hammer thrower, except she doesn’t waste time on multiple rotations. It hits the back of the monster’s head with a satisfying crunch.
There’s a split second of stillness and the snake thing crumbles to the floor, coiling like a discarded rope.
Willow and Tara stare at each other over its prone body, the barely dented kettle sloshing gently in Willow’s grip. The water is probably still warm, and most of it is even inside the kettle, only a few drops darkening the rug around them.
Tara smiles. “Anyway,” she says, pushing fly-away hair off her face. “I’ll have that tea now, I think.”
***
Title: Kettle Knockout
Author: kat_lair Mistress Kat
kat_lair Mistress KatFandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Characters/Pairing: Willow/Tara
Rating: PG
Warnings/enticements: some peril and show level violence
Word count: 456
Disclaimer: Not mine, only playing
Summary: Tea for an uninvited guest…
Author notes: Written during a boozy Scribblers’ Fangirl Weekend to a randomly assigned fandom and prompt ‘kettle’. My second fic for our 100 Fandoms Challenge too. Betaed by HanHathma.
Willow opens the cupboard door and contemplates her ever growing collection of herbal teas. She doesn’t feel like chamomile today, already pretty serene and centred. In fact, perhaps some chocolate chilli tea might just give her the boost of energy needed to push through the last part of her assignment.
“Honey?” she calls upstairs to Tara. “I’m making a drink, do you want one?”
The kettle boils with a whistle that never fails to make her smile. Willow knows an electric one would be quicker but can’t help but love the whole ritual of putting the kettle on the stove and waiting for it to boil, picking out her favourite mug, bowl of sugar sitting prettily on the kitchen counter. She’s not the only one of course. Every time Giles visits and she makes him a cup of tea with her whistling kettle, he seems to relax, posture and expression softening to something almost wistful, even in the middle of a crisis.
She’s prepped her own tea by the time it registers that she hasn’t heard a reply to her earlier question. The kettle still in hand, Willow returns to the foot of the stairs. “Tara? Did you want tea?”
A beat or two of silence and Willow is already frowning, two steps up when there’s a crash and Tara’s voice calling out in distress.
Willow runs upstairs, swinging through their bedroom door with heart in her throat.
Tara is by the window and she’s not alone, something tall and unnaturally sinuous looming over her, its back to the room. Its tail is wrapped around Tara’s legs, blocking any chance of simple escape, and it’s somehow fast enough to simply dodge every spell she’s sending in its direction.
Willow inhales sharply, afraid and angry, and raises her arms, ready to hurl a few curses in the monster’s direction herself, when her eyes catch the half-full kettle still dangling from her hand. Perhaps magic isn’t the way here.
With soft steps she circles behind the creature and swings the kettle around in an almost graceful arch, both hands around the handle like an Olympic hammer thrower, except she doesn’t waste time on multiple rotations. It hits the back of the monster’s head with a satisfying crunch.
There’s a split second of stillness and the snake thing crumbles to the floor, coiling like a discarded rope.
Willow and Tara stare at each other over its prone body, the barely dented kettle sloshing gently in Willow’s grip. The water is probably still warm, and most of it is even inside the kettle, only a few drops darkening the rug around them.
Tara smiles. “Anyway,” she says, pushing fly-away hair off her face. “I’ll have that tea now, I think.”
***
no subject
on 2019-06-02 02:15 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2019-06-02 04:11 pm (UTC)Thank you!