Chapter Text
Giles was absorbed in reading a book when Buffy burst with characteristic volume into the library.
"Buffy," he pushed his glasses up his nose. "What's the matter?"
"A *lot*! Well, okay, not of the demony variety, more of the socially inept kind of trouble."
"You're going to explain that, yes?"
"Well, you know, the prom's next week, right? We're all so excited to go and that I get to do the whole teenage right of passage thing..but..."
"Buffy, I can tell you're about to touch me for a favor, so why not just out with it?" His tone was gently teasing.
She looked at him for a minute. "Not a word of this to Xander and Willow. I'm invoking ancient Watcher/Slayer privelege here."
"Fair enough."
"I...I don't know how to dance. Like prom style partner dance. I mean, how can I go to the prom and not dance? Oh, sorry, Angel, my ankle just really hurts, don't need to dance... I'll look like a moron."
"And?"
She looked down at the floor. "Giles. You know *everything*. Plus, you're all British and mannered and stuff. I know you know how."
He looked at her for a minute. "You want me to teach you how to dance? I don't think I've seen a page in the Watcher handbook for that."
"Are you going to make me grovel?"
"No, of course not," he smiled at her. "Of course, I'll teach you if you like."
"Thanks." She smiled at him.
Giles rummaged through a file cabinet. "Ah..I don't think I have anything too terribly modern in my record collection here."
"I didn't even know you had a record player in here."
"Well, I'm here longer hours than you lot, as a rule. Sometimes it gets too quiet in here."
He pulled out an LP. "How does Etta James strike you?"
"Who?"
"Jazzy. Pretty. Classic. You should like it."
Giles put the record on the turntable, and after some soft scratches, the song kicked in.
"At laaaast.....my love has come along... My lonely days are over...and life is liiiike a soooong..."
"That's nice."
"I'm always amazed when you find anything without an earsplitting drumbeat palatable. But, yes, it's always been a favorite of mine."
He held a hand out to her, and she took it, Giles twirling her around as he pulled her near him. She wobbled.
"Allright. Buffy, I know this is a tad bit out of character for you, but you have to not be the one in command for dancing to work. You have to *follow*."
Giles placed his other hand on the small of her back and pulled her into his space. A slightly uncomfortable moment passed between the two of them, and neither would look at the other.
After a beat, Giles looked down at her, swallowed hard, and pressed on. "Counting at first is rather the easiest way to learn the basics..."
The evening passes pleasantly enough---after her false start, Buffy proves to be a quick learner, and her naturally nimble Slayer senses proved extremely useful. As she became more comfortable with basic steps, she kept asking Giles to teach her harder steps. This resulted in Giles spinning her around until she was dizzy then dipping her so low that her head was nearly touching the floor.
When Giles pulled her back upright, her hair flew into his face, which was inches from her own. Their eyes held one another's for a long minute. Somehow their faces got a little bit closer. Buffy could feel Giles' breath on her lips. He let go of her as though she'd burned him, and Buffy stumbled backward.
"Sorry," he whispered quietly. "Lost my balance."
"No, you didn't."
"I think maybe we ought to call it an evening, Buffy. I'm...rather tired."
"Then we'll go out and I'll buy you some coffee. We should talk about whatever's buggin you."
Giles' voice was quiet, but very strained. "I don't want to talk about it, Buffy."
"Then dance with me." She held her hand out to him.
Giles looked at her, then took it. With a strange intense look on his face, he took her through the same series of steps they'd just done a moment ago. Only this time he held her body almost inappropriately close to his. Buffy could feel herself blushing. He dipped her low again, sweeping her in a semi circle and pulling her body back up to his. This time when their eyes locked, he didn't push her away, but looked at her, hard.
Buffy wasn't sure what was going on, and the look on Giles' face was..unnerving. But, to her credit, she didn't look away. When she thought about it later, she wasn't sure exactly who'd made the initial move in this scenario, but suddenly she and Giles were kissing. Hotly. Her brain was whirring. Her Watcher was kissing her. She was kissing her *Watcher*. And...and...oh, God.
She pulled back from him, suddenly. "Angel," she whispered.
Giles looked like she'd slapped him. "Always sodding Angel," he muttered. He broke free from her grip and stalked out of the library without looking back.
Buffy stood for a moment, with her hand over her mouth.
"Giles!" she shouted, and ran out into the hall after him. But, he was gone.