Geek Love

[Willowtree252]

I want to kick faiths ass but i always want to kick it hehe she needs to leave willow alone and you big ole cliffhanger tease i must wait for another update and here i thought we were becoming friends please don,t leave me hanging long ps i love my geek stink hehehe

[db]

Watty.

I'm in love with this story.

I loved all the advice from the chat, and Willow's bravery re: the hair cut and clothes shopping. Me personally relate to running scared from an overzealous sales person - me? Never. OK, so maybe once or twice... the promise of a pretty girl sure does inspire bravery, doesn't it?

The thing that *really* got me though was all the steps Willow took to make herself more comfortable regarding chosing a new place to eat. Reading reviews, practicing getting there and giving directions, trying new things... Good tactic Willow (and a great insight into Willow as preperation/reseasrch girl).

Yay for "Operation Willow Get the Girl"

I can't wait to see what happens on their date!

db

[simplyblue]

YES! Do I know a good place to eat, or what?

I'm going to differ from Deb here: I think a haircut and new clothes make sense. Willow's totally panicked that she's not...enough. Not pretty enough. Not hip enough. Not interesting enough. If new clothes and reshaped hair gives her confidence that she she doesn't look like she's obviously out of her element having dinner with Tara at Old Amalfi's, then I think she's made a smart choice.

Looking forward to more.

--Blue

[willohand]

oh wow. I like that she is going through the trouble to impress tara. And giving her self a boost in confidence doesnt hurt either. GO WILLOW! GO WILLOW! oh man tara had look out. She just may fall for our favorite redhead, though I think she already has a twinge of hope that something sparks between them. Cant wait for the date.
SOON YES?

[SithLordWiccan]

I've always had a soft spot for Willow (and Aly by default), but this fic makes me love her that much more. Going through all that effort to impress Tara, not that she needs to, of coruse. She's pretty loveable all by herself.

BOO! to Faith! A great big series of BOOS! Not only for putting down Willow, but geeks in general. For the record, geeks do not stink. We reek...of awesomeness! And when we take over the world (everybody knows that geeks will inherit the Earth one day), I'm gonna make sure that Faith grovels at my feet and does...unmentionable things.

And here's hoping that all the trouble Willow put into the date works off, and that nobody goes out of their way to ruin it. (I've got a specially selected group of individuals on call ready and willing to punish anyone who dares to interrupt what must be done. Don't think I'll set them loose, watty? Is that a chance you really wanna take?)

Update soon, watty. Please?

[willohand]

so uhhhhh you know....update for their date soon?

[Guppy]

Shut up Faith!! We love geeks and they don't stink!!!

So cute with Willow panicing. She totally would do a dry run of the date night too, checkin out the restaurant and trying all the food. I totally understand the new haircut and clothes. She needed a confidence boost and that can do the trick. I can't wait until we get to read about the real date!

P.S. Loved the use of the word "Piffle."

[mole]

Nothing like a new 'do and new duds to make you feel invinsible and irresistable. Go Willow!

Michelle

[Artemis]

Jeepers, Faith is being a real bitch in this story Well, I'm looking forward to the scene where she gets to see Willow in all her gorgeous glory, and her jaw drops, and then she remembers how she's behaved to her, and thinks 'Aw darn.' Payback is a bigger bitch than Faith

I loved Willow's makeover - mostly because it was a proper makeover, not one of those fake TV ones, where the poor subject gets their hair done exotically and gets draped in whatever eccentric fashion the product placement people have picked... Instead, this seemed to be very much about bringing out a Willow that Willow herself is comfortable with. The hairstyle, nothing terribly elaborate that'll just collapse the moment it gets washed, and the outfit that she actually feels comfortable in - it's all encouraging. There'd be no point doing a makeover if it was just for a day - with Willow feeling comfortable with the 'new' her, and not like she's pretending to be someone she's not, it won't be something that vanishes after a day or two. Rather, she'll like feeling good about herself, and keep it up.

Not that she'd discard her geeky t-shirt collection, of course. I'm sure Tara will love that too (actually I'm picturing them lazing about in the morning in t-shirts and trackpants... it's kind of hot )

[watty]

viximon

Willow is being anxious, but I think she's justified. She isn't the type who's had many dates (if any) in her life and she wants to make a good impression. I've got Faith firmly in the villain role this fic, she isn't vindictive or anything, just incredibly self-centered. Yes Anya and Willow had met, albeit briefly. Do they remember each other? I'm not saying yet. Thanks for reading!

~~~~~

Debra

First, for spotting Owen! There are so many varied side characters in the early seasons, I'd like to use them more. Owen growing up to be a sensitive hairdresser is a distinct possibility don't you think

re: Faith, I think the most hurting thing a non-geek can say to a geek is that they have Geek Stink. But of course we don't! And very true about people for just about everyone, there are enough to go around, and for all to co-exist in peace.

About Willow's makeover, Willow is doing what she wants to increase her confidence level, she isn't changing herself all that much, I can't picture this geek Willow being comfortable in something so overly different from her normal self. She has a haircut and some new clothes that are still her style, I'm sure Tara will appreciate the effort 4 years down the line when they are probably both lounging about in their t-shirts -- Willow's with an Atari joystick and Tara's with a cartoon Prada bag.

When I first read the title of this fic months ago, for some reason, the mental Image I got was circus performers.

You're absolutely spot on! I read Katherine Dunn's Geek Love on the plane back home from NZ last year, it's really really good. I thought about incorporating something as a nod to the book, but didn't manage to at the end.

~~~~~

candleshoe

I'm thinking many of us can identify with Willow's desire to make herself more presentable when meeting Tara for the first time. Yes, definitely keep thinking of the girl, Miss Shoe.

~~~~~

Dianneswillowtree

Faith makes a good villain here, not exactly vicious but with her brand of snark. Update this weekend.

~~~~~

db

The chat group works well as a group, I guess individually they're all as shy and insecure as Willow. It occurs to me that if it weren't Willow, but another member of the group having met a dream girl, they'd give the same advice. Willow is nothing if not thorough in her research, I thought she was brave to try the restaurant out first, good thing Buffy is in town, eh?

Update soon, take care.

~~~~~

simplyblue

YAY! You got the restaurant right, well done.

Yes you're right, Willow got a haircut and new clothes, but nothing too drastic. She knows she can't sustain the illusion if she shows up in make-up and dressy clothes, but something a little more considered than her usual attire was a good idea.

~~~~~

willohand

Go Willow, yes! Perhaps Tara already feels something? Heehee, we'll see. Update this weekend, as usual.

~~~~~

Alex

I've always had a soft spot for Willow

awwwwww, you said it! Boo to Faith! Now she'd better be scared cos she has the wrath of geeks united, let's hope she changes her mind or redeems herself soon.

~~~~~

Guppy

I think Faith's geek stink remark touched more nerves than she thought. Well, she deserves it.

I like 'piffle' too and I get a special chuckle when it's Buffy saying it. Thanks for reading.

~~~~~

mole

"do and new duds" oh that's a great description. Thanks.

~~~~~

Chris

Faith is a real bitch, and I think she pushes Willow's buttons because she knows she can. She is a good villain in this story. We don't have hellmouths or monsters, but these are the people that set out to make other people's lives difficult because of their self-centredness.

The group did talk about a fake TV style makeovers (fab five like) but Willow won't be comfortable with that. Or, to be honest, afford it. No, she won't discard her geeky t-shirts, I'm thinking some day in the future she'd persuade Tara to don one of those too. Now, wouldn't that be hot?

~~~~~

[br]

[watty]

Title: Geek Love
Author: watty
email: hiddenwatson@gmail.com
Distribution: please email me first
Rating: PG-13 to R
Disclaimers: BtVS characters and concepts belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, The WB, UPN and others. Densha Otoko characters and concepts belong to Fuji Television, Toho Ltd and others.
Summary: Contemporary AU. Shy geek rescues and falls in love with perfect woman. No, does not compute.
Notes: this is based on the Japanese phenomenon, densha otoko ("train man"), which was supposed to be a true story and which begat a book, several manga series, a film, and a tv series. This is also my first attempt at fluff. Hee.
Notes 2: the IRC channel #geeklove actually exists on irc.blitzed.org, thanks to MistressWashi for setting it up for me.



Part 9

"Table for two please, name of Rosenberg," Willow walked up confidently to the host at the restaurant. "Yes siree, table for two, two people. Not one ... two."

"Ah yes Ms Rosenberg, welcome back. I have your reservation for two," the host smiled as he checked the reservations book. "At seven. Our restaurant opens at five thirty, would you like to wait here? Or, you might wish to come back a little later?"

"Oh," Willow glanced at her watch and realized she was early, way early. This was embarrassing.

"The bar staff isn't here yet but I could have a drink brought to you from the kitchen. Non-alcoholic unfortunately," the host offered.

"Oh." Willow was having difficulty saying anything that was more than one syllable. But she let herself led to a the bar where she retreated to a spot in the farthest corner, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible.

Over the course of the next hour she watched as the restaurant staff arrived and got the restaurant ready for the night. She had a new appreciation at the work done by the staff as they swept and wiped and set the tables. She made a mental note to remember to tip them better.

Eventually the manager turned the sign on the glass door to 'Open' and Willow was shown to her table. She was still ridiculously early and felt self-conscious sitting on her own in the empty restaurant.

She was relieved when other customers started to trickle in. Couples on a date mainly but there were groups at the larger tables. She didn't realize how time had passed, gradually her awareness of her surroundings faded as her mind drifted and blanked out. She was surprised when the waiter appeared, as if out of thin air, and pulled out the other chair at her table.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Tara said with a smile as she sat down. She nodded to the waiter in thanks.

"Oh no!" Willow protested. "You're not late at all, I was a little early." Yeah right, a little.

"This restaurant has a nice atmosphere, doesn't it?" Tara commented.

"I like it too," Willow agreed.

The waiter returned with the menu for Tara.

"What do you recommend?" Tara asked him.

"Today our special is --"

Before he could continue, Willow had already interrupted. "I recommend the arugula salad with artichoke & olives followed by the ravioli with zucchini and salmon in fresh tomato sauce," she gushed. Then blushed. "Um, I mean, if you like."

"Sounds good, I'll go with that," Tara said.

"For you, miss?" the waiter asked Willow.

"The same please," she said.

The waiter took their order and retreated.

They glanced at each other, then smiled nervously. They had what seemed to be a long few minutes of silence, but in fact it was only a few seconds.

"So --" "-- come here often?" they said at the same time.

"I'm sorry, go ahead," Tara chuckled softly.

"No, you first, sorry," Willow said.

"We must stop this," Tara said.

"Stop?" Willow raised her eyebrow in question.

"Apologizing to each other. It's like we're competing on who says the most sorrys, it's like collecting M&Ms."

"If 'I'm sorry's' are M&Ms, I'd be Willy Wonka," Willow beamed.

"Oh, can you reserve a gold ticket for me?"

"Since you gave me such nice tea cups, you can have as many as you like."

The ice broken, they grinned at each other. Willow had never felt so confident and easy-going with another person.

Conversation flowed smoothly over dinner. Asked afterwards, neither could remember exactly every detail, only that they talked about a lot of different subjects. The clearest topic was what happened on the train. Tara kept thanking Willow, and Willow kept insisting it wasn't necessary.

Soon they were relaxing with coffee.

"So Willow, do you come to restaurants like this often?" Tara asked.

"Well, I only became interested recently," Willow said, remember how she was reading the style dining magazine only two days ago.

"Really?" Tara said. "My friend and I like trying out all sorts of restaurants, I should take her to this one, it's a good recommendation, thanks."

"Wow. Which is your favorite restaurant?" Willow asked.

"So many to choose from. Honestly, I don't like the big showy, celebrity chef restaurants. I prefer more home styled, the food is more ... sincere," Tara explained. "How about you? What's your favorite?"

"Um, I don't really go out to restaurants a lot," Willow tried to clarify. Except fast food joints with Xander and Andrew. "I only read about them."

"My friend Anya doesn't have a lot of time anymore. She met someone and spends most of her spare time with him now. Not that I'm complaining, I'm happy for her," Tara said. "I just feel bad asking her to go out for a girls' dinner now."

"I see."

"I had a really good time tonight," Tara ducked her head and smiled.

"Me too," Willow echoed.

They shared a moment of comfortable silence as they reflected on the night. There was no pressing need to invent small talk.

"What do you do in your spare time?" Tara asked after the waiter came by to refill their coffees.

Uh-oh. Willow started panicking. "Weekends?" she squeaked.

"Yes."

Browsing at her favorite comic store with Xander and Andrew, looking at Mina comics and fighting over Mina action figures.

No. She couldn't tell Tara that.

Hanging out with her eight year old friends with their vast combined collections of PSP games, playing against each other via wifi.

Hell no.

Spending hours and hours chatting with her online friends at the #geeklove channel.

"Oh, I do a little bit of surfing," she said finally.

"Ah, that's amazing! I heard it's really hard," Tara was impressed.

"Eh?" Willow said in surprise. "Not really, it's easy if you know how."

"Have you been doing it long?" Tara followed.

"Um, a few years, since my parents bought me a, you know."

"Then you must be very good at it."

"Well ..."

"Is there some trick to doing it better? Isn't it all about your stance?"

"Stance isn't that important, you can even do it on your stomach, in a lotus position or even on your back."

"On your back?"

"Yep, technology is very advanced nowadays."

"Is that even possible? I go to the beach a lot and I've never seen anyone riding on their back."

Willow's eyes grew wide as she realized they may not be talking about the same thing. "Riding?"

Tara smiled in admiration. "I really admire surfers, they are so free and there's a certain aura about them."

"Oh. Surfing. Right," Willow mumbled.

"Perhaps we could go to the beach one day? I could watch?" Tara asked hopefully.

Oh shit.

"Um, I'm doing less now, I-i-i ... oh yes! I hurt my knee slightly, so I'm taking it easy." Willow hoped this white lie was sufficient.

"I'm sorry to hear that, how did you hurt your knee? Are you better now?" Tara had this cute little frown between her eyes when she was concerned. But Willow was too anxious to appreciate it.

"Oh, much better now. In fact, I'm good as new. Uh well, almost good as new. I can walk and run, but anything too strenuous ..." she waved her arms in the hope that it was a passable imitation of a 'you know what I mean' gesture.

"I hope you get better soon," Tara said. She checked her watch discreetly. "Well, I had a great time tonight, but do you mind if we get the check? I need to get up early tomorrow morning."

"Of course not! I'm sorry for keeping you up so late," Willow apologized.

"We really need to stop apologizing. Next time you apologize unnecessarily I'll have to think of some punishment for you," Tara teased.

"I'm so scared now," Willow laughed.

They split the check, as agreed. The walk to the station was pleasant, though punctuated with silence as each contemplated what to say next.

They were going in the same direction so they found themselves on the same train. The sense of awkwardness grew, there seemed to be a lot to say, but neither was able to articulate it.

"Well, my stop next," Tara said softly, if a little reluctantly. "Thanks again for the great evening. Good night, Willow."

"Good night, Tara."

The train pulled into the station and Tara stood up. Willow so wanted to reach out, grab her hand and tell her not to leave, but she couldn't find a good enough reason. She stood up too and walked Tara to the door. Tara turned around on the platform and the air between them grew heavy with an anxious expectation. Willow opened her mouth a few times but simply couldn't find the words. Tara was similarly quiet as she stood almost motionless on the platform.

The sound of the doors hissing was almost painful to hear.

"Um," Willow tried to find some words but a giant clammy hand was firmly clasped over her mouth.

The doors started to close.

"I'll call you!" she managed to blurt out just as the doors slammed shut completely. She wasn't sure if Tara heard her, but the image of the blonde smiling at her as the train pulled away burned into her mind.

*****

[blockquote]
so that was how it went

it's like a romantic novel

what is this coming out of my eyes? it's wet and tastes salty

so did you call her?

no, not yet. I don't know if she heard me

does it matter? you had a good time and it seems like she did too. call her tomorrow

I feel like such a dork

you have nothing to lose by calling, the worse is she'll say no and you'll never see her again ... how different is that to not calling her and never seeing her again

Sally's right, call her tomorrow

oh, not tomorrow. I'm meeting Xander and Andrew at Channel [V], they are interviewing Karin live on Touch Your Idol!

the interview isn't the whole day is it? you can call Tara after

only make sure you get the Mina gaganess out of your system first

yeah, don't think Mina-worship goes well with Tara-conversation

you'll be fine, don't pretend to be who you're not

that's hard, I don't want her to see the real me

how do you know that? have you asked her?

she saw you once, on the train, as your normal geeky self, remember?

I don't think she was looking that clearly

you underestimate yourself. call her, what's there to lose?

I'm not sure I need to call her *tomorrow*. I don't want to come across as pushy or stalkerish

you said you'd call, right? if you don't it's rude. The longer you wait the harder it'll be

plus don't you think that Tara might want someone to go restaurant hunting with her now that her friend is too preoccupied with her new boyfriend?

um, I don't know

think back ... isn't it what she said?

I suppose so

how will you find out if you don't call and ask her?

how do I even start that conversation?

you haven't found it difficult to talk to her so far

sigh, you're right. thanks for the pep talk gang, I'm nervous but I will call her. but right now I'm going to bed

night Willow

night Will, call her tomorrow

night

[00.56] *** Closing Link hiddenred [cgiirc@n20407818022] (Quit: CGI:IRC 0.5.3 (2003/10/29))
[00.56] *** Disconnected from IRC
[/blockquote]

*****

"So how was the date?"

"It wasn't a date, Anya, just dinner."

"Dinner for two at a secluded restaurant, I'd say it was a date."

"I give up. Why can't two people have a nice dinner without people blowing things out of proportion?"

"So it was nice!"

"I didn't say it wasn't."

Anya noticed the slight flush on Tara's face and she smiled knowingly to herself. She decided it was time to draw a little more information about this mysterious Willow person who had Tara so uncharacteristically flustered and distracted.

"So, what does she look like?"

"I think she's a little younger than me; red hair, green eyes, open smile and very ... genuine. Yes, there's nothing fake or insincere about her."

"So, personality over beauty?"

"No! It's not like that. She's cute."

"And you still say it wasn't a date? You're almost giddy!" Anya teased.

"I am not!" Tara protested, though not too convincingly.

"Tell me you're not seeing her again and I'll believe you're not smitten."

"Well, we didn't make any plans. I'm not sure if we'll see each other again."

"You have her phone number and she has yours, right? She'll call."

"I think that's what she said, but I'm not sure, it was noisy and the train doors were closing."

"Any reason why you can't call? I mean, I made the first move, it doesn't matter nowadays."

"Oh yes, how is it going with the new boyfriend? When do I get to meet him in person?"

"He's back from his trip on Wednesday, we can meet for drinks. Unless you have a date?"

"Wednesday is fine, we didn't make any plans."

"Listen to yourself, Tara. It's serious when you start talking about 'we,' your subconscious has already started thinking about househunting."

"You're being ridiculous, Anya. Anyway I want to meet this guy who has you obsessing about real estate."

"Just don't cancel on me the last minute because you made plans with Ms Cute Redhead."

"I won't, I promise."

Anya went back to her desk and Tara went back to her files. She couldn't focus though. After a few minutes she reached into her bag and retrieved her cellphone. She called up Willow's number on the display. Her thumb poised over the dial button, but eventually she sighed and put the phone back into her bag.

She knew there wasn't a reason why Willow should be the one calling her, but a part of her wanted to be the one on the receiving end of a phone call. Willow seemed to bring out the ultrafemme in her.


*****
[br]

[Thianne]

DIBS!

First of all, of course i loved the update. but, duh!, of course that was obvious.

secondly....this is TROUBLE! and yes, i know that you know that i know what happens next.....*re-reads the sentence* yep, exactly.

so, this part:

"Oh, I do a little bit of surfing," she said finally.

"Ah, that's amazing! I heard it's really hard," Tara was impressed.

.................

"Is that even possible? I go to the beach a lot and I've never seen anyone riding on their back."

Willow's eyes grew wide as she realized they may not be talking about the same thing. "Riding?"

Tara smiled in admiration. "I really admire surfers, they are so free and there's a certain aura about them."

"Oh. Surfing. Right," Willow mumbled.

trouble. i so hate it when they start with lies and misunderstandings.....

then, i must say i really like your anya. she's funny without being rude, and says what she wants to say in tara's best interests. i like her.

and finally, this sentence, dunno why, made me swoon:

Willow seemed to bring out the ultrafemme in her.

*swoons*

wattybrowns, that was a great update, like always. i promise i'll leave you the complete feedback one day! i swear! in the meantime...keep posting!

[db]

Heh heh. Willow brings out the ultra femme in Tara. How cute is that?!

I am worried about Willow hiding the geek stuff though -- and about the surfing snafu. Tara said that she likes Willow *because* she is sincere and genuine. Willow needs to be *herself* -- and Tara already thinks she's cute (who wouldn't?).

Now for the SECOND date.

Earth to Willow -- pick up the phone, schedule a second date and come out to Tara as the geek you are!

Another delicious chapter Watty!

Looking forward to the next installment (as always).

db

[JustSkipIt]

Wonderful date except for the unintentional followed by intentional lying by Willow. It seemed like they were both very comfortable except for Willow's continued play-acting about who she really is. Not a great idea there. More so, I can't imagine that either of them can tell whether they are dating. Like each may be thinking, "Well, I thought it was a date but maybe she didn't. Maybe she doesn't even like girls or maybe she does like girls but not this girl..." That kind of thing. Still thrilled with all Willow's support. Go girls!

[umgaynow]

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa I want longer chapters!

You evil clif-hangery demon kitty type!

[viximon]

Ahh, so cute of a date. He he, yep, definitively a date. Though... Willow white lies can turn into snowballs. I painfully understand why she did it but that can be bad. Hope things goes smothly though.
Fabulous chapter, congrats.
Want to meet Anya boyfriend too.
The fic is great, keep it up

[BigBlueEyes]

I love this! Sorry for not posting lots! Still kicks major ass!

[Candleshoe]

Aww, bless them. They are so cute together! I hope the surfing almost-fib is something that they can giggle about, rather than something that gets blown out of proportion

I'm still loving this, watty, it reminds me that there is hope for us geeks!

[FineyMcFine]

I have been away for days and days and I missed giving fb for 2 chapters! First of all, very nice job with Willow going shopping and getting her hair cut and remembering snippets of her IRC conversation and advice. (Although I do wonder - how do all these other geeks know so much?)

One wonders if Anya is secretly seeing Xander, Willow's geek-friend.

And their date! How nice that it went so smoothly. I was expecting more shenanigans from Finagle's Imp of the Perverse, but it was good that they had a good time. I like it how they're not spending a lot of time wondering if each other is The Gay, but I have to think the question will come up at some point.

[diamondforever]

Oh, I loved the surfing. Please update soon and got our girls together!

[SithLordWiccan]

Just when I thought things were on the up and up and that everything would turn out great, everything started to spiral down the tubes. I mean, why does Willow feel the need to lie to Tara?

Hasn't she been told that she doesn't need to change who she is on the inside to impress her? I mean, come on. You'd have to be dead not to have your pants charmed off by Willow Rosenberg, regardless of who you are.

Of course, she didn't do herself any favors by lying to Tara and not taking the initative to call her (BOO! to Tara for this, too), and I seriously hope that the two of them get back together and have a guilt and stress free date. (I've still got my personal hit squad at the ready, and they're just jumping at the gate to get them together by any means necessary. And when I say "any means necessary", I mean any means necessary...)

Great job, Watty. Please update soon.

[willohand]

ohmygod soo cute for so many reasons. Oh they so want each other but too afraid to sat...at least right now. I have faith in this fic that things will come together just fine. Oh man how long do we have to wait for them to phone the other?

[Boschi]

But. But, but, but.... there were all those pages and it said watty and I thought "Oh - something I can enjoy reading, that will carry me through a bit."

And now here I am at the end, and, and, I want more!

If I wasn't so I think I'd pout.

I look forward to painful, cringe-worthy moments of awkward cuteness.

[watty]

Vale

No worries about the feedback, your fb is good. Thanks!

Trouble brewing, yes. Yikes. Just a slip of the tongue (heh, I said tongue), but I won't spoil it for you.

Anya is getting more votes of confidence here. I do like her and I think she's a good foil for Tara's inherent shyness. Even though I don't delve into Tara's character (I should), I get the feeling that Tara depends on Anya as a sounding board and to give unabashed advice.

~~~~~

db

I have this image of this Tara as a very feminine, polite, almost fragile creature in this fic. So it fits that she wants to wait till Will calls, even though she's been the forward one so far, with the asking for address and the sending of gifts.

Willow's boo-boo may come back and haunt her, I won't say yet. She still has a lot of anxiety about who she is, and who she perceives herself to be (ie not good enough for Tara). Tara, OTOH, doesn't seem to mind Willow's geekiness, I wanted to show that.

Second date? Are you sure there will be one? Oh I am a tease.

~~~~~

Debra

Like many things, disaster starts with the small and mundane. So Willow's white lie may have consequenses, I think a few people have picked up on it. You are very right, that Willow should not continue to pretend to be someone she isn't, though Tara seems to have seen through that and saw the sincere side of Willow. I haven't addressed the "gay" and "is she gay" and even "how accepted are gays in this society" questions, and it is deliberate; I wanted to stay as light as possible and leave these open to interpretation. Hopefully it isn't read as neglectful writing. Thanks for your support.

~~~~~

Sandi

Teehee to longer chapters. I am quirky, in that I try to keep the chapters within one fic to about the same length. Okay I think I'm going to be pleased and flattered that you say I'm evil and cliff-hangery ... cos it's almost a requirement of writers here. Cliff-hangers are a find art. Thanks!

~~~~~

viximon

I think because they split the bill, and they were more like friends, that they may not think of it as a date. But probably will change their minds when they get older.

Yes to snowballing effect. Willow made a bad judgement call here. Update this weekend.

~~~~~

BigBlueEyes

Thanks! Don't worry about posting fb, I'm happy you're reading.

~~~~~

CandleShoe

They really are cute. Willow's white lie was bad judgement, and I'm willing to bet that if asked, she wouldn't have imagined that it had the same effect. Would she have said the same thing, if she could reverse time? Without the benefit of hindsight, I'm not sure. I think she is still anxious about how Tara perceives her ... actually more about how she perceives that Tara perceives her.

Geeks rule! Thanks, Miss Shoe.

~~~~~

Sally dear

Welcome back! No worries about fb, all is good. How did the other geeks know so much about makeovers and grooming? They watch a lot of TV and they google.

One wonders if Anya is secretly seeing Xander, Willow's geek-friend.

*slaps head*

The date was good. I wanted to show they are comfortable, easily compatible. But there's still the niggly doubts, especially on Willow's part. But I suppose it's because a lot of this fic was written from her pov, that her anxieties come through louder. Re: The Gay. I deliberately didn't touch on it, it's something that just is in this universe.

~~~~~

diamondforever

Thanks. Update this weekend.

~~~~~

Alex

In her defence, I think Willow didn't fully realize the consequence of her little white lie. And it may or may not have future impact, I'm not telling yet. She still has doubts about her acceptability, don't forget she doesn't see herself through rose-tinted glasses like we do. I do think it's quite usual, for a self-confessed geek like her, not to know how to behave in a date-like situation. Not only the self-consciousness issue, it's an even that she doesn't have much experience in, and it's natural for her to be anxious. Add to her inherent nervous and always-wanting-to-please nature and it doesn't lead to a zen-like calm.

You may have noticed I haven't addressed the "personal hit squad" that you've mentioned in the last 3 chapters. I think it's a little too violent and doesn't fit the general mood of this fic. We are also cognizant of the faqs, so why the need to turn to nasty violence when a happy ending is guaranteed? Give the writer a little trust?

~~~~~

willohand

Oh they will be together ... eventually. I just may turn evil. Then again, no. Update this weekend.

~~~~~

Boschi

Hi there, welcome. I'm updating every weekend, so not long to wait, I hope. Glad you enjoyed it so far.

Oh, I like the cringe-worthy thoughts. Geek and Poised = awkward moments definitely. Thanks for stopping by.

~~~~~

[br]

[willohand]

will not be a happy person without my update before I go out. soooo get with the updfating missy. please

[Artemis]

And thus arises what will no doubt be spoken of in dread tones as The Surfing Thing Though I admit, it is useful to have something like this around, when everything else seems to be going so well - just to ensure our quota of Willow-spaz per chapter I wonder what Tara's response will be when she finds out that Willow's not a wild surfer chick... annoyance, or amusement laced with some reassurance that Willow needn't be ashamed of her geeky roots? Apart from that, good date - Willow showing up hours early (and so proud of having a reservation for two) was sweet, and I liked the post-date interrogation Tara got from Anya.

[Thianne]

tee hee brownie, you said tongue

[watty]

Quick replies first.

willohand -- not long to wait, here's the update. btw, in case you haven't noticed, I'm updating every weekend.

Chris -- sigh, yes, a little plot device to throw the proverbial spanner into the works. @ Willow spaz quota, I think it won't be GL without the overload of Willow spaz. Glad you picked up on Willow arriving hours early, she is an anxious one isn't she.

Vale -- yes. tongue. and posting this fic cos you said tonight. I'd put the "wink" smiley here except that you don't like it.

[hr]

Title: Geek Love
Author: watty
email: hiddenwatson@gmail.com
Distribution: please email me first
Rating: PG-13 to R
Disclaimers: BtVS characters and concepts belong to Mutant Enemy, Fox, The WB, UPN and others. Densha Otoko characters and concepts belong to Fuji Television, Toho Ltd and others.
Summary: Contemporary AU. Shy geek rescues and falls in love with perfect woman. No, does not compute.
Notes: this is based on the Japanese phenomenon, densha otoko ("train man"), which was supposed to be a true story and which begat a book, several manga series, a film, and a tv series. This is also my first attempt at fluff. Hee.
Notes 2: the IRC channel #geeklove actually exists on irc.blitzed.org, thanks to MistressWashi for setting it up for me.



Part 10

Willow stared into thin air while the phones around her rang off the hook. Her mind was miles away.

"You gonna answer those?" Faith leaned over and poked Willow in the ribs.

"Ow! What?" Willow rubbed her ribs in annoyance and glared at Faith.

"Phones. Answer. Supergeek to the rescue."

"Oh, those. Let them ring," Willow shrugged.

"What's eating you, Red? You're all mopey with the big sighs. And you look different, what have you done to your hair? And there's something else. You're not wearing glasses?"

"I don't wear glasses Faith. And it's nothing."

"Nothing, or none of my business?"

Willow shot Faith a dirty look and tried to ignore her. But the brunette wouldn't give up; there was a secret and she was going to find out. She glanced at the clock, grabbed Willow by the arm and pulled her up abruptly.

"Faith! Leave me alone," Willow scowled.

"Lunchtime," Faith announced.

"I'm not hungry," Willow snapped.

Faith ignored her, physically dragged a struggling Willow to the cafeteria and deposited the sullen redhead at a corner table.

"So, Auntie Faithy is your best friend, let's catch up on the weekend," Faith made a bridge with her hands and watched Willow expectantly.

Willow looked at her co-worker as if she was nuts. "You're not my best friend, Faith."

"I'm letting you eat lunch with me, I'm your best friend for the next hour," Faith said.

"You dragged me down here in the first place," Willow grumbled.

"God, stop being such a whiner. You went on a date with that girl but got no nookies did you? Got the brush off?"

Willow stared at Faith in disbelief. "Can you get your mind out of the gutter? It was nothing like that!"

"Tell me you haven't thought about it. Nookies I mean," Faith sniggered.

"Look Faith, it may surprise you but not everyone thinks with their ... I don't even know the right term, but it's not your brain," Willow retorted.

Faith shot Willow a hard look. "I'm getting food. Do not move from this spot."

"I'm not hungry," Willow repeated.

"Don't complain when I don't get you anything," Faith said.

"Don't bother."

Faith was back soon with a tray laden with grease and carb. Willow hadn't moved, she thought of abandoning Faith but she started thinking about Tara and she lost track of time.

"Scrub," Faith said through a mouthful of burger.

"What now?" Willow sighed.

"You've had some sort of face scrub, or eyebrow pluck or some beauty treatment. You know, change your appearance all you want, you don't have the creds or guts to get this girl. She's out of your league," Faith said.

"You may be right," Willow thought back at the evening with Tara, and nice though it was, she couldn't see much in common.

"Things might be different if you had a hobby that isn't so childish. Something interesting," Faith threw the remains of her burger on her plate in disgust. "This is foul. Let's go."

"An interesting hobby?" Willow said to herself as she allowed herself to be dragged back to the office.

She tried to think back at something Tara said.

I really admire surfers, they are so free and there's a certain aura about them.

"I need a hobby!"

*****

Willow gingerly pushed herself up from her prone position and brought her feet up beneath her while trying to keep her balance. She also remembered that she wasn't supposed to look down at where her feet were positioned, and tried to look straight ahead. With an unsteady motion she at last managed to stand up and affect a stance that looked like the ones she saw on TV.

It didn't last long as her legs couldn't keep the board from swaying and she tumbled clumsily into an ungraceful leap on the floor.

She tried to leverage herself up onto the surfboard she had precariously balanced on her bed at one end and a chair at the other, but the board wobbled and she slipped again, this time falling painfully on her bottom.

She sighed. The experiment with the surfing wasn't going well. She had picked up the second hand surfboard from a small sports shop and was even dressed 'appropriately' in a Big Smiley t-shirt, surfer shorts and snorkeling gear. But she had didn't have the coordination necessary for sports.

At that moment, her phone decided to ring. She scrambled up, flew across the room and snatched the phone from her desk.

"Willow, it's Tara."

"Hi Tara!" Willow said, far too cheerfully, trying not to sound flustered.

"I wanted to thank you for last night," Tara said politely.

"I had a lot of fun too." Willow managed to compose herself and was sitting on the floor underneath the surfboard.

"That's good," Tara started.

"I didn't know if you heard me on the train ..."

"Yes I heard you. I was wondering if you'd call."

"Sorry, I didn't know if I should."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Apologizing."

"Oh sor--"

"Are you nervous?"

Beat.

"A little bit. I don't know why. I've been thinking of calling you, but wasn't sure what to say that doesn't make me sound stupid."

"You don't sound stupid, Willow."

"I was thinking about what you said, that you like trying out new restaurants, but your friend doesn't have time."

"Yes, she has other commitments."

"I could be your restaurant friend! I mean, if you want."

Silence.

"Um yes, I'd like that very much."

"You mean?"

"I mean."

"Wow."

"I actually wanted you to ask me about it yesterday, I think I need to work on my hinting skills," Tara laughed.

"Oh no! I'm bad at reading signals, that's all," Willow joined in too.

"I was too obtuse."

"I have no nuance!"

"How about I look for the restaurant this time?"

"Sure."

"Great. Are you free this Sunday?"

"Free? Of course I am." Don't know if I can wait that long.

"That's settled. I'll let you know the address later?"

"Can't wait."

"Me neither. I'll talk to you soon?"

"Count on it. Night, Tara."

"Goodnight, Willow."

*****

Tara, Anya and Cordy met up for drinks on Wednesday as arranged. Tara had an uneasy feeling about this appointment, she didn't know why.

The topic inevitably turned to relationships, though it was basically Cordy's monologue about her latest conquests.

Tara was nursing her drink while trying to listen, and not listen, to Cordy.

"He owns a fleet of Porsches. A whole fleet! It was incredible to walk into his garage," Cordy was recounting yet another date with yet another eligible bachelor.

Anya's eyes shot up at the sound of approaching footsteps and a smile slowly spread all over her face. "There you are," she said to the person who just walked up to their table.

Cordy and Tara both turned to greet the newcomer.

"Am I late?" said the young man with flaxen hair and dressed stylishly in all black.

Tara's face fell.

"He's cute," Cordy remarked.

"Here, sit down," Anya pulled out the chair next to her and indicated that the young man should sit with her. She immediately looped her arm around his in an obvious show of possession.

"Well, aren't you going to introduce us to your new boyfriend?" Cordy asked.

"He's your boyfriend?" Tara asked, incredulous.

"That a problem?" Anya challenged, noting Tara's strange and hostile expression.

"Is that why you've been hiding him, because you don't want me to know? Do you know who he is?" Tara asked.

"Of course I know who he is! The question is, why are you being so possessive?" Anya asked angrily.

"Oh my god, a love triangle!" Cordy squealed.

"It's not --" Tara started.

"He doesn't belong to you!" Anya spat.

"Excuse me," the young man tried to speak up.

"Don't pretend you don't know anything, you-- you cheater!" Cordy shouted.

He recoiled. "I think there's a misunderstanding," he said to Cordy.

"What about Beth?" Tara turned to the young man and asked him directly.

"We're just friends," he explained with a shrug.

"You're cheating on Tara with this Beth! And Anya too!" Cordy got ready for another verbal assault.

"What?!" "What?!" "What?!" Three voices raised in unison.

"You're suck a jerk and I don't even know you," Cordy's indignant rage was so great that she slapped him.

"No!" Anya rushed to protect her boyfriend.

"Cordy, no! He's my brother!" Tara exclaimed. "Donnie, are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said, gingerly checking on a reddening patch on his cheek.

Introductions were made all around. Cordy couldn't help being jealous of Anya, and she tried to monopolize his conversation all night.

Anya wasn't bothered, she knew what Cordy was up to. Instead she left Donnie to fend for himself with a 'he's a big boy' thought, and turned to Tara.

"Did you talk to Willow?" she got straight to the point.

"Um yes," Tara replied.

"And?"

"And what?"

"Are you gonna have a second date?" Anya asked in an exaggerated whisper.

"It's not a date. Anyway, I haven't decided where to go, it's my turn to think of a place," Tara said.

"Aha! So it is a date!" Anya grinned victoriously.

"I keep telling you, it's not a date," Tara huffed.

"If it's not a date, then you won't mind me coming along?" Anya's eyes almost shone mischievously as she said that.

Tara was caught out. While she was consistently adamant that she wasn't going on a date with Willow, she knew it was something that perhaps she wanted to work toward one day. Having Anya along as a third wheel brought out massive feelings of disappointment. On the other hand, she knew once Anya's mind was made up, there was no changing it.

"Why?" she finally asked.

"So I can approve of this Willow, before things get too far," Anya said righteously.

"You're not going to listen to anything I say about us not being involved that way, are you?" Tara said exasperatedly.

"Then prove it to me. Tell me I won't be a third wheel at your dinner," Anya challenged.

Tara knew she would never win this argument. "Alright, but let me clear it with her first," she finally acquiesced.

"See? Whipped already," Anya teased.

Tara decided not to answer that.

Later, she excused herself and went outside to call Willow.

"I need to ask a favor, Willow."

"Eh?"

"Is it okay ... is it okay if I brought someone with me this Sunday? Someone I want to introduce you to."

Willow's face fell, but she couldn't let Tara know how disappointed she was.

"That's fine," she said slowly.

"Really?" Tara sounded surprised.

"Yes sure."

"Thank you, Willow. I'll make it up to you next time."

"Next time? Really?"

"You don't want?"

"No, no, no. I mean, I do want. Now I'm sounding incoherent, I'm sorry."

"Should I be worried that you're becoming incoherent?"

"Well, I could ask that particular persona to take a break. I have another seventeen I can pick from."

Tara laughed. They decided to talk again when Tara found a suitable restaurant.

*****

[blockquote]
[21.42] Connecting ...
[21.42] Logging in ...
[21.42] *** Welcome to CGI:IRC 0.5.3 (2003/10/29)
[21.42] -olive.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Looking up your hostname...
[21.42] -olive.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Found your hostname, cached
[21.42] -olive.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Checking Ident
[21.42] -olive.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Got Ident response
[21.42] *** -
[21.42] *** - This is a CGI:IRC server connected to the Blitzed IRC Network
[21.42] *** hiddenred [www-data@n20407818022] has joined #geeklove
[21.42] *** mode/#geeklove [+nt] by ChanServ
[21.42] *** Topic is: our time is coming
[21.42] *** Topic set by harley [Thurs Aug 24 02:28:46 2006]
[21.42] *** Channel created on Wed Aug 30 18:03:32 2006

hi Willow

hi Will, what's new?

hi everyone

hey Will, how was the dinner. sorry for not catching up earlier, I just came back

np, watty. we're going out to a restaurant this sunday, she's picking the place

woot!

but, there's a problem

uh oh

she said she wanted to bring someone with her, apparently this someone wants to meet me

drat, that spoils the date. who's this 'someone'?

she didn't say

male or female? at least you should know that

*hiddenred blushes and realized ... no

*wattysbrain sighs

you didn't even ask something as fundamental as this? I'm tempted to come over to Sunnydale and whack you one on the head, young lady

didn't occur to me. do you think it's a boyfriend or girlfriend? She wants to introduce me to her boyfriend!!

did it sound like it?

I really don't know

are you going to cancel?

no, don't cancel, you don't know who this person is. may be a friend, to check *you* out!!!

gulp, don't freak me out

no use being overthinky. you never know, it might be fun

fun? to be scrutinized by her friend, intent on finding me not suitable for her?

you're jumping to conclusions, Will

what do *you* want to do?

I don't know

if I cancel, it'll be rude; if I go, I'm sure I'll screw up. I'm so confused

think about it this way. how do you feel about Tara? how will you feel if you don't meet her for a second date?

how will you feel if you weren't ever gonna see her again?

I don't know. I need to think

understand

but you should have answers to those questions before sunday

I know. sorry gang, let me go think for a while

sure, let us know if you need to talk

we'll be here for you

y'all are so great, thank you. bye for now

bye

night Will

[22.17] *** Closing Link hiddenred [cgiirc@n20407818022] (Quit: CGI:IRC 0.5.3 (2003/10/29))
[22.17] *** Disconnected from IRC
[/blockquote]

*****

Willow didn't want to go home.

She walked aimlessly amongst the throng of people hurrying home from work.

It could have been dark and raining or still bright and warm, but she didn't notice.

She thought of Tara.

She stopped by the railway bridge over the highway and watched as the rush hour express roared its way to the suburbs.

She had missed lunch and should be starving and thirsty, but she didn't notice.

She thought of Tara.

She found herself at the Espresso Pump and contemplated going in and watching the people pass through its doors. It was less crowded than when she visited with Xander. Was it only a week ago?

The Wishing Tree was gone, the donations no doubt gone to whichever charity it was earmarked for. She wasn't cynical enough to believe that charitable donations only lined the pockets of middle people.

She found the tree in the back alley, forlornly leaning against the dirty back entrance, waiting to meet its fate at the municipal dump.

Amazingly, out of the hundreds of slips of paper wishes, her eyes came to rest on one crumbled slip written in neat hand-writing. Xander wanted to know what she had written that day, but she was insistent that it was a secret.

"It invalidates the wish if I tell anyone else. It's like birthday wishes," she said.

"That's kids stuff," he argued. But one sharp look from her and he held back a retort.

She gently disentangled the fragile paper and read the wish. Perhaps it was a sign. She folded it up carefully and put it in a compartment of her wallet. It was an unusual wish for her, she would normally have wished for a better job, or a new laptop, or something like that. Instead she had torn something from deep within her heart.

I want to fall in love.

*****

[br]

[Thianne]

DIBS!!!

(see watty? i did )

ETA: ok, i'm finally here to leave you feedback. sorry for the delay

first of all, of course i loved it. i mean, update-y goodness of a good fic by an amazing author how could i not love it?

then, of course, it was funny, a bit sad in the end, and very very frustrating in the middle *rereads sentence* did that sound naughy only to me?

anyway: the frustrating part was, of course, anya inviting herself to what we know in our hearts to be a date. i mean, duh. it's obvious they like each other, we know it, you know it, anya knows it....then just leave them alone! of course she wants to test tara as much as she wants to check willow out...but it's still not a valid reason. bad anya!

the sad bit....well, who hasn't wished the same thing one time or another? *sad sigh* or, well, maybe adding a nice "again" at the end, and even "without being hurt" yes, yes....i know, this is screaming "ISSUES!"

but that was....you know, sad is not the right word. it left me....melancholic. that's the word. well, i just hope she'll get her wish granted.

.....

who am i kidding, of course she will! this is the kitten board!

and now for the funny part....ok, now i just have to quote!

"So, Auntie Faithy is your best friend, let's catch up on the weekend," Faith made a bridge with her hands and watched Willow expectantly.

Willow looked at her co-worker as if she was nuts. "You're not my best friend, Faith."

i don't know what is more funny, if willow's answer or faith that makes a bridge with her hands! oh jesus, that's just too funny!!!

"Don't pretend you don't know anything, you-- you cheater!" Cordy shouted.

"You're suck a jerk and I don't even know you," Cordy's indignant rage was so great that she slapped him.

*wipes tear from eye, still giggling* watty, you crack me up!

in the first quote, i adored your choice to use the verb "shout". for the very simple reason that it's the one that expresses best what you want to say. there are many synonims, but with different nuances of meaning. and you chose the one that best fitted your needs, so it hit me.

the second one...well, that was just hilarious

as always, good job Brownie. keep on posting (i know you will.....i just like to give you orders )

can't wait for next weekend!

PS: i hadn't noticed that you wrote that you posted cause i told you to...but thanks

and just one thing....in your reply to feedback, it's like you try to make guesses about Anya....sweetie, you don't need to, you're the writer and if it's to keep me guessing....well, you don't need to. i'm already intrigued enough by your writing

keep posting!

[SithLordWiccan]

OK, I want to start this off by saying one thing.

"You're not my best friend, Faith."

Hear, hear!

Now, with that out of the way...

God, Faith's such an bitch in this story. You said that she might be redeemed later on, but after treating Willow the way she did in this chapter, I don't see it happening. In fact, I see her ending up face down in a pile of mud with a few broken bones. (Sorry, but I kinda get large with the butch when it concerns Willow being sad/hurt, and I say and do things I don't really mean.)

So...Donnie is Anya's date? That's interesting. Loved the dynamic between the three of them. Cordy's really showed her airheadidness (is that even a word?) in this chapter.

I must admit, however, that my favorite part was Willow trying to be Surfer Gal. I just think it's cute that she goes to all the trouble to try and impress Tara, even though I know she doesn't need to. I mean, c'mon, it's Willow we're talking about. If plain, ordinary Willow doesn't impress you, you must be dead or something.

YAY! for another Willow and Tara date! But BOO! that Anya's going to be with them. Now, I know you've made her all understanding and sympathy gal, and I know that this is the Kitten, when they'll end up together no matter what, but please watty, make sure that Anya doesn't pull a Faith and snub Willow too much. (I'm having flashbacks to "Triangle" even as I type this...)

Oh, and while you're at it, feel free to drop a piano or two on Faith. She certainly deserves it after what she did in this chapter.

Love this fic, watty. Hope all ends well.

Peace out.