Geek Love

[willohand]

I mean what can I say about this wacky but cute update? Oh I think I already have. Its wacky and cute in every way. And yes so very frustrating as well damn faith. Stupid cell phone. Noisy selfish cordy. And again wacky willow for not charging her cell. but she does have a cute reason.
More please.

[diamondforever]

Aaaah, phone tag sucks. I'm roooting for our girls!

[Guppy]

Our poor girls. Terrible luck with timing and all. Adorable update. I love it!

[db]

OMG - can our girls not get a break and actually speak to each other?! How can smoochies and romance insue without the making of contact???

I love the scenarios Willow's mind comes up with when Tara doesn't pick up. Totally fabulous addition I might add (Were those there before? I don't remember them. I think that I would've remembered how cute they were...)

Faith is, again, a *huge* pain in the butt... and also I really liked Tara's sense of self worth -- with the turning down of Charles and valuing the place she is at for self worth rather than power or recognition reasons...

I love it!

db

[bluebird]

Awww poor Willow

and good for Tara Gunn acted like a jerk, I wouldn't wanna work for him either.

this was a fun update!!

[Barlimo]

Hi Watty Sorry I've not left feedback earlier. I've been reading your story since the beginning but wasn't brave enough to de-lurk...until now!
Aagghh what a frustrating update - fun, sweet, amazing but ultimately...aagghh (stupid phone, stupid Faith - aagghh!)
Your Willow is too cute for words!
Please please update soon and bring on the
Tracy

[JustSkipIt]

Watty - oh poor W/T with everyone conspiring against them: phones and Charles and Cordy and Faith most of all. Just means that when they do get together it will be that much sweeter. I really loved Willow's imaginings of what Tara was doing away from her phone.

[SithLordWiccan]

Dear God, watty. You sure do know how to pull the heartstings. I so badly wanted them to hook up this chapter, but you threw everything up against them. (So much, in fact, that I was quite surprsied you didn't toss the kitchen sink in there, too. Y'know, to try and be funny, and all. )

I think that it was ironic that I praise Faith for being a slut in another thread (Chris' "Space Quest") and yet decry her here for the same reasons. Of course, over there she hadn't stopped our lovely ladies from getting it on. (She just resorted to trying to pull a Paris Hilton and get it videotaped.) But GRR! to her. And GRR! to Charles!

And especially GRR! to Cordy! Even though she gets the best line ("The world doesn't revolve around you, Cordy." "My world does.")

Good job, watty. And please, for the love of all Gods, both real and fictional, PLEASE let them meet up soon!

[watty]

Sallypants

Definitely one of the best tools of comedy: the comedy of errors and frustrating moments. French farce, in Xander's words. I'm not a big comedy writer, so I'm happy that the humor is appreciated. Poor Willow, and poor Tara too, but mainly poor Willow. I didn't intentionally set out to make Faith this annoying but she just lent herself to her role, you know. I'm so glad you liked the Ghost and Misery interludes, I really had those scenes in my mind when writing, so it wasn't hard to have Willow's imagination go into overdrive too.

being in IT, does she have an extra charger in the office, do you think?

I've been trying to convince myself based on how I've written her, that this Willow, though a geek, is a bit of a scatterbrain and doesn't have contingency plans or is big on spreadsheets and graphs. So, alas, she doesn't have an extra charger. And I'm also positing that her colleagues don't either.

Could she call Tara from her land line?

Ah. um. yes. Perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself but it seems that in this universe I created, land lines don't exist. At least that's what I tell myself. Retcon, baby.

~~~~~

Candleshoe

Miss Shoe!!!

You're not crap at feedback because,

I love this.

I really love this.

is deceptively, subtly, so poetic. Thank you my dear.

~~~~~

willohand

LOL@wacky but cute. Thank you! I love this description. And yes, piling on the frustration. It's like farcial comedy, but without the high drama. Heehee. Willow is defintely wacky for not charging her phone, no wonder she's all flustered about it. I mean, it's TARA! Thanks for reading.

~~~~~

diamondforever

Yay to rooting for our girls! They need all the luck they can get to somehow get on the phone with the other. Thanks for reading.

~~~~~

Guppy

Yep, poor girls alright. I assure you it'll be fixed soon. Thanks for reading.

~~~~~

db

Oh we'll get smoochies and romance soon. Um, sometime soon. Er, make that sometime eventually. Heehee. I'm evil.

Glad you liked the Ghost and Misery scenarios. I think they've always been there but I'm not sure which version you read.

Well done for picking up on Tara's self worth. She is a proud person and she isn't prepared to sacrifice her beliefs for superficial stuff like money and power. I must admit she's less developed than Willow in terms of character, because she's the one whose personality doesn't really change as the fic goes along. She's the "target" and already has a high place; at least in Willow's mind.

Thanks for reading, dude. *hugs*

~~~~~

bluebird

Hi there, thanks for stopping by. Well yes Gunn was arrogant, but I had him as the sort of ladder-climber, shoe-shiner who wasn't used to being turned down. It must have made quite a dent in his ego, being turned down by Tara like that.

~~~~~

Barlimo

Hi and welcome! No need to be shy and thanks for delurking to leave feedback, it's much appreciated.

Yep, you've summed it up!

stupid phone, stupid Faith - aagghh!

No one is entirely to blame for the girls not talking, but it is highly frustrating. Just like life. Glad you like Willow, I think that most of us being members of an online community, we can identify with Willow to a large or small extent.

~~~~~

Debra

Thanks for the praise on the Ghost and Misery interludes. Can you imagine if it's really on film and we see what Willow is imagining, only through a hazy fog? How fun. Yeah, there is no one big conspiracy against them, just a sum of smaller frustrations. The people around them (Charles, Cordy, Faith) aren't exactly evil, but they certainly don't have Willow's or Tara's interests in mind, do they? Update this weekend, thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. *hugs*

~~~~~

Sith

Pulling heartstrings? Heh, you haven't seen/read me at my worst, when I was vying with Cyd for the Mistress of Angst title. Well you know, I was thinking of tossing the kitchen sink in there, but couldn't quite handle the dismantling of the plumbing.

Well, Faith isn't quite the Han Solo-esque slut in Spacequest, but here she still has some of her carefree / self-centred personality that we know so well. funny that you mention her videotaping. Have you been-- um, I'll stop here, don't want to spoil things.

please, for the love of all Gods, both real and fictional, PLEASE let them meet up soon!

Well if you put it this way, I'll think about it. Thanks for reading, Alex.

~~~~~


[br]

[Artemis]

Poor Willow... I can really empathise. This story is like Audience Identification 101 for geeks That feeling now and then that we, who (at least we like to think) make time for others, don't mind putting ourselves out a bit to make someone else's life easier - now and then, it just builds up and you wonder if anyone actually realises that, hey, you'd appreciate some consideration too. Usually during an encounter with someone as single-minded as Faith. Oh, the tyrrany of being too kind-natured to slap such people upside the head...

I really like Tara's choices in this chapter - she's not interested in what 'everyone' wants, she knows what she's got and she knows what makes her happy. Professionally, that is - so far, what'd make her happy personally is probably racing from desk to desk despairing of finding a phone charger.

(Having read your replies, I thought of a 'fix' for the problem of what about calling Tara from a landline - if her phone is out of battery power, she'd have no way to access its address book and get Tara's number to dial on a landline.)

[watty]

Chris -- you come up with the most perfect descriptions every time. "Audience Identification 101 for geeks" Faith, for some unfathomable reason, knows which of Willow's buttons to push here. I haven't really developed Tara as much as I have Willow, that's a little because she comes as the object of desire already. Still, she is someone who recognises that she is in a privileged part of society, however she doesn't want to get her hands dirty, so to speak.

(good fix. now everyone please pay attention to Chris' retcon because it's so much better than mine. )

[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 7

Willow was a geek on a mission.

"I need to charge my cell, do you have a battery or charger?" she charged into a 7-Eleven and asked the bored grunge-type behind the counter.

"Do you have one of our phones?" he asked disinterestedly.

"Huh? No, I have my own phone," she answered, slightly confused.

"We only sell our own phones here," he reported.

"But you're a convenience store! You're supposed to sell everything for an emergency," she whined.

He gave her the look that a Buddhist monk would give to a neophyte who asked for steak. "7-Eleven, not RadioShack, dude," he drawled.

"Oh! RadioShack!" she exclaimed, and ran out again, missing his eye-roll.

She knew there was a RadioShack nearby, but her head was too full of getting batteries and Tara and how annoying Faith was and more Tara that there was no room for geography right then. She finally managed to stumble her way into one.

"Battery for my phone, please give me a battery for my phone," she almost pleaded with the shop assistant.

"How may I help you, Miss?" said the assistant, who was wearing a cheerful name-tag with 'I'm Pete, I'm new, please don't yell at me' scrawled on it.

"Battery. Phone," Willow waved the phone at Pete.

"Aha, you're looking for a battery for your phone?" The lightbulb seemed to have finally flashed in Pete's head.

"Yes," she barely got that out.

"I have to check. Wait here please?" he said as he looked around to find someone to help him.

Willow tried to wait patiently, but couldn't stop fidgeting.

Pete returned a few long minutes later. "Sorry miss, we don't stock batteries for your phone," he explained sadly.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, I can't find the battery for this model," Pete said as he returned.

"You're kidding me? A phone's a phone, right? The batteries must be fairly universal," she exclaimed.

"I think they have different batteries depending on carrier," he said helpfully. "May be you can try the T-mobile store?"

She felt all the air deflating out of her. "Where?"

"Oh, I'm new in this area. Let me ask someone."

"Forget it." She didn't to wait around any longer, and had no confidence that Pete the newbie could help her anyway.

At the T-Mobile store she dragged herself to the counter and asked for a battery.

"Of course, it's $14.95. Cash or charge?" the assistant efficiently reached behind him and retrieved the battery from a line of them on the shelf.

"Charge."

She paid with her credit card, not really noticing the price or packaging. She took the packet from the hands of the assistant and ripped it apart, single-mindedly focused on getting the battery into the phone.

"Um miss, it won't work," the assistant interjected.

Willow was in the middle of putting the new battery in. "Why?"

"It needs to charged for 12 hours first time, there is no juice inside when it's new."

"No, no, no. I need one that works. I need to make a call."

"Oh, why didn't you say so. You asked for a battery, I didn't know you actually wanted to get the phone to work."

"Same thing! Battery in phone, phone works."

"Not quite. You could have just bought the Cellboost for $9.95. It gives temporary power to your phone."

"I should know all this, damn," Willow sighed. "Give me the Cellboost."

"I can't refund you for the battery, the packaging has already been torn."

"It doesn't matter," Willow said dejectedly.

"Charge again?"

She handed over her credit card once more, but all was forgotten when she plugged in the temporary battery and the distinctive melody played when she switched the phone back on. 30 seconds later and she was elated to see the battery indicator showing 95%. She punched in Tara's number gleefully.

"Huh?" She almost threw the phone on the counter when it didn't work. Again.

"Reception is bad inside the store, Miss. Try outside," the assistant suggested.

Finally, she had power in her cellphone, she had Tara's number, it was time. Time to meet her destiny.

Destiny placed a hand on her shoulder and made her jump.

"There you are! I've been calling and calling. Why isn't your cell on?" It was her boss.

"Er, battery dead," she squeaked.

"You need to make sure you're reachable at all times. Come, let's go," he instructed.

She had forgotten about the client dinner. With one last desolate look at her cellphone, she walked after him.

The clients were two fifty-something humorless businessmen from Utah, Willow tried to stay quiet throughout the dinner, leaving her boss to do most of the talking and feeling uncomfortable. Her mind being on Tara didn't help, she was sure that the blonde goddess would have given up on hearing from her by now.

*****

Three doors down, another restaurant.

"... but no answer," Tara was explaining to her two friends. "Didn't leave a message either."

"This is the person who saved you on the train?" Anya asked.

Cordy leaned in closer. "Is he good looking?"

"Um, it was a she. And I didn't see very clearly, I was too concerned with staying away from the old drunk," Tara explained.

"Huh, a girl? How droll. Not a hunk you can really sink your teeth into. Or pass to me. Why are you even bothering with sending her a present?" Cordy harrumphed.

"She was very brave, and well ..." Tara hesitated, and exchanged a brief look with Anya. Anya shook her head imperceptibly.

"I think it was polite and decent of Tara to send the present. Can't imagine what would have happened if the girl hadn't done what she did that night," Anya said neutrally.

"I'm not saying don't give thanks when you should, I'm just saying what a waste of expensive branded goods. What's wrong with a book certificate?" Cordy asked.

"I'm hoping it's not a waste--" Tara started.

"Class. Show how classy you are by what you give, not what you take," Anya interrupted, and frowned more obviously at Tara.

"Whatever. I'm going to the bathroom, don't talk about anything that requires my attention while I'm gone." With that Cordy grabbed her handbag and sashayed to the bathroom.

Anya turned immediately to Tara. "Are you out of your mind? A stranger you met on the train, and by your description no one special. No good will come out of this, Tara," she admonished.

"How do you know? Willow sounds like a honest person. It's been so long since I've had someone in my life who doesn't see me as some prize or trophy," Tara said.

"Honest? She leaves a garbled voice message like she's hopped up on acid and doesn't return your calls? And, a dork called 'Willow'? Her parents so stoned they named her after the first thing they saw when they woke up and came out of their tent?"

"Don't jump to conclusions, she may be busy. And I like 'Willow' as a name," Tara tried to explain.

"Taking about jumping to conclusions, you need to stop dropping so many hints to Cordy," Anya broached.

"Why? I don't want to hide."

"It's not for your sake, it's for hers. Don't think that she can handle the fact that you have no interest in men, she doesn't have the brain cells to comprehend it."

"It's the truth, and I'd rather be the one to tell her than for her to accidentally find out."

"She is too self-centered to notice. But it's up to you."

"We'll talk about this tonight."

Cordy returned to their table and they spent the rest of the evening talking about relationships and courtships. More specifically, Cordy's relationships and courtships.

Anya was staying over at Tara's, so they returned to Tara's apartment afterwards and chatted for a while. Anya had an early start the next day, so she turned in early.

Tara was about to take a shower when her phone rang.

"Hello," she answered.

"NICE TO MEET YOU!" the voice at the other end of the phone shouted. "Uh, I'm sorry, that's not right. Er, this is Willow Rosenberg. From the train."

"Willow," she repeated. "I'm so glad you called, finally we get to talk."

"I'm sorry," Willow apologized.

"It's fine," Tara assured.

"The cups. I'm calling to thank you for the cups. They're far too nice, I'm so sorry," Willow stammered.

"It's nothing."

"I'm sorry I didn't answer your call today, I was on the other line. And then my cellphone ran out of battery. I'm so sorry," Willow apologized again.

"It's nothing," Tara repeated.

"And I'm sorry for calling so late," Willow couldn't seem to stop apologizing.

Tara chuckled.

"Did I say something wrong?" Willow sounded immediately worried.

"No, it's just that you keep apologizing and I keep saying 'it's nothing,'" Tara couldn't help laughing.

"I'm sor--" Willow stopped herself, and laughed a little nervously.

"You don't need to keep apologizing. I'm the one who should be sorry, you hurt yourself saving me, you were so brave," Tara said sincerely.

"No, no, not at all. It's nothing," Willow said.

"Even the ladies on the train told me you were very brave."

"Really, it's nothing. Anyone would have done the same."

Knock knock knock.

Tara opened her bedroom door to find a worried-looking Anya in her dressing gown.

"I can't find my passport. I'm sure I packed it but now I don't know where it is." She seemed almost in tears.

"Willow, could you hold on one minute." Tara nodded and turned to Anya, "Don't worry, I'll help you look."

"I'm sorry, you're on the phone?" Anya said. And mouthed 'Willow?'

Tara nodded again. "Willow, my friend Anya is staying with me and she needs me to help her with something."

"Oh, you should help her."

"I'll call you afterwards, is that okay?"

"Okay? You still want to talk to me?"

"Yes of course. But now Anya is looking anxious, let me help her first."

"Alright. I'll be waiting."

"Bye, Willow."

"Bye."

*****

[blockquote]
[22.17] Connecting ...
[22.17] Logging in ...
[22.17] *** Welcome to CGI:IRC 0.5.3 (2003/10/29)
[22.17] -pineapple.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Looking up your hostname...
[22.17] -pineapple.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Found your hostname, cached
[22.17] -pineapple.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Checking Ident
[22.17] -pineapple.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Got Ident response
[22.17] *** -
[22.17] *** - This is a CGI:IRC server connected to the Blitzed IRC Network
[22.17] *** hiddenred [www-data@n20407818022] has joined #geeklove
[22.17] *** mode/#geeklove [+nt] by ChanServ
[22.17] *** Topic is: geeks need love too
[22.17] *** Topic set by wattysbrain [Sat Aug 05 04:07:56 2006]
[22.17] *** Channel created on Thurs Aug 24 17:26:55 2006

hi Willow

hi willow

yo Willow, long time no chat!

hi everyone, hi Emmy yes long time, how've you been?

yo dude, whassup? We've been talking about you

really good, thanks

I just got off the phone with ms perfect

woot!

yippee! you got a girl?

how did it go?

not yet Emmy. Cam, we talked a little, then she had to go, her friend is staying with her and needed her

that's too bad

good convo?

yes, she said she'll call me back, whoo-hoo

fab!

so, Will, how does she sound like?

I bet her voice is sexy as hell

me too

she sounds really nice, her voice is so soft and musical

and she's calling you back? way to go Will

I'm so nervous I can hardly type, what do I say to her when she calls back?

first tell her you want to see her ... you *do* want to see her don't you?

ask her to dinner to thank her for the cups

I agree

a thank you for a thank you? then a thank you for the thank you for the original thank you? when will it end?

stop being so logical

it's fine, nothing wrong with wanting to thank her in person

casually invite her for dinner during the conversation

word, dinner is nice

I have no idea what to say

"The cups really are too nice, I'd like to say thank you in person. I know! How about dinner sometime?" -- what do you think?

The cups really are too nice, I'd like to say thank you in person ... yeah that works for me, thanks Car

practice it

now?

yes, pretend one of your Mina action figures is Tara and say it to her. Aloud

um, okay

*** hiddenred is now known as willow_talkingtopretendTara
[/blockquote]


"The cups really are too nice, I'd like to say thank you in person. I know! How about dinner sometime?" Willow put her Space Pilot Mina action figure next to her laptop and tried to overlay Tara's face on the figure's face.

"The cups are really ... really are too nice," she said self-consciously. "No, not good."

"The cups really are too nice, I want to say thank you in person. ARGH!! Try again. The cups really are too nice, I'd like to say thank you in person."

"I'll never get this right!"

"How about dinner sometime? Dinner sometime? Dinnersometime? Dinner, sometime?"

brrrring brrrring

"Oh my god."

brrrring brrrring

"Hi," Willow answered. And instantly regretted the overly familiar tone.

"I'm sorry," Tara's voice was so gentle. "Did you wait long?"

"Oh no, not at all," Willow quickly reassured. "Is your friend okay?"

"Yes, she thought she lost something important but we found it."


[blockquote]
she's called me back talking now

whoo-hoo

I'm praying and I'm not religious

"the cups are really too nice, I'd like to say thank you in person"
[/blockquote]


"Um, the cups. They were expensive, weren't they?" Willow read the chat as she talked, she felt less nervous, with her friends rallying around her. "You shouldn't have, I'm sorry."

"It's nothing. We get them at work," Tara explained. "I'm sorry for making you uncomfortable."

"Soyouwannagotodinner?" Willow blurted out.

"Sorry?"

"Um, what I mean is," she paused to take a deep breath. "Dinner. How about dinner sometime? I-i-i want to treat you to dinner."

"You don't have to go to all that trouble, they weren't that expensive."

"It's to thank you in person."

"I can't let you treat me."

Willow was disappointed. It felt like her world was falling apart. Did it mean Tara didn't want to go out with her? Should she beg? She had no idea what to say next. "I see."

After a few seconds of uncertain silence, she heard Tara's voice again. "How about if we split the check?"

Willow sat up. Did it mean ...? "You mean?"

"I'll feel more comfortable if we split the check, you're not offended?"

"Really?! No! Not offended. You sure?" Willow almost fell off her chair, she suddenly felt weak.

"Yes. So when should we meet?" Tara asked.

"I'm free anytime," Willow said.

"Okay, how about Saturday?"

"Oh, I should be ... wait, I can't, my friend Buffy will be in town. Sorry, I guess the 'I'm free anytime' isn't exactly true."

"No worries," Tara chuckled. "How about Sunday?"

"That'll be good."

"Sunday it is then. Where shall we go?"


[blockquote]
I hope everything is going well

I'm positive it is!!! I have a good feeling about this

I hate not knowing what's happening, grrr

*coughcontrolfreakcough*

I'm curious too, I'd love to be a fly on the wall in Willow's room, listening in

DINNER WHERE HELP

woot!

oh, oh, oh ... Italian, Mexican, Greek ...

gang, time to google

Willow, buy time: ask her what type of food she likes

k

I don't know where to start looking, can one of you help?

http://sunnydalefoodies.wordpress.com

cool watty

find a popular restaurant, she needs to impress Tara

but not too noisy

spicy food no good

we're looking, stall her

Will, tell her you'll look for a good place and you'll call her later with a few choices. decide on where to meet first

k

I think we'll be able to come up with a shortlist

or longlist, or craigslist

lol, you're not helping

okay, phew, call finished. I said "I'll find a place that isn't too hot" ... I have no idea what I was saying, the words were coming out like a heap

lol doesn't matter, you got the date, didn't you

yes yes, though it isn't really a date

you're going out to dinner with a girl, that's a date

yay! xoxoxo

congratulations



it's really great, I feel like I'm really there

now we have to decide on a place. watty will come up with a list sorted by location, price and suitability, then we discuss tomorrow, deal?

aww you don't have to

we so have to, we're Team Willow

Operation Willow Get the Girl

lol, I want to be on that team

I can't chat tomorrow, someone keep me informed?

sure thing Emmy

has any of you *read* the reviews on this website? fucking hilarious ...

-snip-
[/blockquote]

*****

[br]

[FineyMcFine]

dibs!

ETA: har har har! I love this update too. I LAUGHED big time and ran into the other room to tell Mrs. McFine about the humorous "NICE TO MEET YOU" when Willow called Tara. Heh.

Also, no worries about the whole land line/no one else has a phone charger thing. I made a few assumptions like that in UberCon '05 that a certain person questioned in feedback *coughwattycough* and so I totally get it. Besides, it's not unlikely that Willow wouldn't have an extra phone charger AND that meeting a hot girl that she likes would throw her for a loop.

I have to say also that it's great to see a bit about how Anya is in on the Tara being into girls thing but they're keeping it from Cordy. I loved it how Anya gave an imperceptible shake of her head at the dinner table. So great! I do love those two as friends.

Can't wait to see the date!

[Candleshoe]

I've heard a bunch of explanations for Willow's name, but the funniest yet has to be "Her parents were so stoned they named her after the first thing they saw when they woke up and came out of their tent" Hilarious!

And I liked the chatting back and forth. There is such a blurred line between the online world and the offline one and this summed that up beautifully...

Still really loving it...

ETA: I missed the restaurant link in my haste to carry on reading the good stuff. I should have stopped earlier to read that good stuff too. You are so clever, watty, and I am so in awe of your attention to detail and your willingness, even eagerness, to go the extra mile for your readers...

[db]

Watty.

Hey!

Feedback:

I am really liking Anya's character development here. I can see that she really wants to be/is a good friend to Tara. I still can't really juxtipose that with the jerkiness of her toward Willow earlier in the story -- and I am wondering about recognition between those two when/if they finally meet. I think they will need to get that issue resolved - ya know if Tara and Willow end up happily ever after, which I just *know* they will.

As ever, the chat is the very *best* and the sunnydale foodie link, brilliant (and above and beyond, truely).

... and YAY. They finally spoke to each other *and* have plans to go out to eat. Thank god Willow has her friends to help her out - otherwise she'd be a nervous spaz. Oh, who am I kidding, she is totally going to be a nervous spaz and Tara will find it adorable... I have decided.

Can't wait to read more!

db

[Guppy]

Yea for actually conversing! I loved the frantic hunt for a battery when that wouldn't even help. Anya is actually being a good friend. It's always surprising when she actually considers others. I love the online support and walkthroughs. Hehe. This is such a funny story to read.

[Willowtree252]

I am so hooked on this story I want willow to get the girl to hehe can,t wait for dinner and soon i hope wonderful more please

[willohand]

I have to say I am one happy with this update. Okay at first I was all thinking oh hell no..not another frustrating update with willow and tara not connecting. But then you brought a of relieve to my eyes. looing foward to their lunch. I see much panicing and silliness and oh dare I say? But something tells me your going to make it one hell of a lunch... god be gentle with us kitties.

[viximon]

Wiiiiiiiiiii!!!
Happy dance.
I mean I love this fic, I'm so hoping for their meeting.
Update soon the great work you're doing.

[mole]

Hi Watty,

Sorry for my lack of feedback of late. Life has been a wee bit unkind of late. Despite my lack of posting, I have been following and thoroughly enjoying this fic.

"Huh, a girl? How droll. Not a hunk you can really sink your teeth into. Or pass to me. Why are you even bothering with sending her a present?" Cordy harrumphed.

"She was very brave, and well ..." Tara hesitated, and exchanged a brief look with Anya. Anya shook her head imperceptibly.

So, now we know that Tara is indeed saphically inclined and that Anya knows but Cordy does not. And can I just say, "way to go, Anya!" Her exchange with Cordy was perfect. She's a supportive friend - everyone needs someone like that.

Willow's panicked chat with her online buddies is hilarious. And Tara is so poised and sweet. Can't wait for their date.

Michelle

[Thianne]

I promise i'll leave decent feedback one of these days.....i need time to think it out. but i promise you!

[SithLordWiccan]

Watty, I think I love you right now. The way that you brought Willow and Tara together is just how I imagined it would be, what with Willow being all flustered and embarassed and spazzy. I mean, I would be like that too if I had to go through hell to speak to my soulmate.

And speaking of that, thank you Jesus, Buddah, Allah, Primus, Lords of Kobol, and any others I may have missed for allowing Watty to do this. Not only that, but in an incredibly funny way.

Now I know why you brought Anya into this fic, and I have to thank you for that. It's kinda fun to see her as being as good a friend as your portraying her. (And especially since Cordy's not only a bitch towards her, but completly clueless as to her sexuality. I'm seeing shades of Season 1 Cordy in this fic. I never liked Season 1 Cordy. Boo Season 1 Cordy.)

Hope that things work out for them on their date, and that all the mean people stay away. Otherwise I'll have to round up the geeks and do a little huntin'.

[Barlimo]

Yay for actual talking! Yay for dinner date! Yay Willow - Go Willow It's your birthday!
Lovin it, lovin it, lovin it!
Willow is too cute and Tara is just the sweetest thing ever - the perfect couple!
Oh the excitment Nxt update is 'date update' - yay!
Please don't keep us waitin too long - Im too impatient for my own good and I the suspense is just (my brains gonna explode!)
Pwease pwease update soon Pwetty pwease??
xx

[simplyblue]

Ok, first, I'm really cranky that my fb to the last update got swallowed by the posting demon. All that it basically said was "hey, you've been taking lessons from Elvis, haven't you." But still. And I used an emoticon even. Sigh.

Moving on to actual, you know, feedback. This was a really delightful update. I had a huge smile on my face as I was reading the parallel conversations. Go Team Willow! And as for restaurants, I'd go with Old Amalfi's. It's not too expensive and the food sounds divine. But why do I have a feeling Willow will pick the Greenhouse?

--Blue

[willohand]

Im here still hoping for another update soon .

[Artemis]

Hee! I love Team Willow, with the real-time advice and googling and so on (Though I keep imagining these ludicrous scenarios in which Team Willow keeps advising Will throughout the whole relationship, via SMS... "In bed with her, naked. Now what?" "Kiss her!" "Boobies!" "Stroke her thighs!" "Use your tail!" "...not helping, Chris." Or even at the alter: "Do you Willow Rosenberg etc. etc. Tara Maclay lawful wedded wife?" *confer confer confer* "We do!")

I think I've figured out the most fundamental appeal of this story. Naturally there's the identification factor between geeks, and Willow and Tara both being sweet, and Tara being all perfect-woman-ly (works for me!), and the humour with the chat sessions, but bringing it down to the one single thing that's uniformly awesome, it's: Willow panics. It's so much fun! And she's panicking near-constantly, so the fun is non-stop

[watty]

Sally

Oh wow, I made you run into the other room! Heehee. Ooops I was a bit of a smartass in the UCon comments wasn't I? I'm repented now! And if you believe that, you'd believe anything.

I do think that Anya and Tara always have great potential to be friends, even though they're so opposite in character. I was thinking about what is Tara's reason for not coming out completely, ie to Cordy. It's not because she's ashamed or anything, I guess it is her social circle, and because Cordy's probably never shown any interest.

Thanks for your continued interest and encouragement, my dear Sallypants.

~~~~~

Candleshoe

Thanks for your feedback again. I like Willow as a name, but I can imagine her being teased about its hippienesss (though she must be thankful she's not called Bluebell or Dweezil).

There is such a blurred line between the online world and the offline one

*nods* definitely. Willow's online friendship would probably have been viewed as a little nerdy a few years ago, but I don't think it's that unusual any more. It is only in this generation that we can claim to have more friends that we've never met in person than those we have. Well, at the last count, that applies to me. Plus of course even business transactions are done with people we've never met! How amazing.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Sunnydale restaurants link. You know me, I like to give my readers the complete reading experience. Thanks, Miss Shoe.

~~~~~

db

Anya's relationship with Tara is basically a good one, even though sometimes Anya's ideas and thoughts may be a little extreme. Why did she behave so rudely to Willow at the train station? Good point, and one I haven't really thought about ... as in the "why" of it. I'd hazard a guess that it was a hostile environment, as in late night and her automatic defence mechanism would have been triggered. She is still proud of her standing in the snob's corner and in her eyes all nerds are beneath her, it's so ingrained in her, it's difficult to shake. How will she and Willow interact when they meet? Heehee, read on ... we'll come to that part eventually.

Willow is a complete spaz, true. Another reason why we love her so much. And you decided that Tara will find Willow's nervous spazziness adorable? I'm not telling!

Thanks for the words about the restaurant link. I had fun making it. And hey, the food demon welcomes additions to the website.

~~~~~

Guppy

I'm glad Willow's search for the phone battery came across as funny, there was supposed to be a large element of farcical humor in that scene. With her as a computer technician and all the facilities available nowadays she shouldn't need to run to 3 places, but it seemed more fun that way. Thanks for reading.

~~~~~

Dianneswillowtree

LOL Willow will always get the girl, it's the laws of the universe. Dinner? Soon ...

~~~~~

willohand

that you're a happy kitten. Will there be panicking and silliness? Heehee, not telling! It will be fun, though, I think you'll like the next part.

~~~~~

viximon

hi there! about the happy dance. I think you'll like the next update, it's pretty funny if I say so myself.

~~~~~

mole

Michelle. Hope RL gets better for you soon. Glad you picked up the little exchange between Anya and Tara. I think Anya is a little more perceptive than Cordy and Tara will trust her more. She has her rough edges (more to come) but in her way she has Tara's best interest in mind.

LOL about panicked chat. That was exactly it! If I could, I'd make a video of Willow pacing back and forth and wringing her hands.

~~~~~

Vale

Promises, shpromises. Take your time, hon.

~~~~~

Sith

Willow = flustered and embarrassed and spazzy was exactly how I wanted it, thanks for mentioning it. Anya tries to be a good friend, and I'm glad Tara has her. Cordy all clueless is pretty in character, no?

The date will be fun, I think you'll enjoy the next chapter too.

~~~~~

Barlimo

Thanks again. Perfect couple? not yet. Update next.

~~~~~

simplyblue

"hey, you've been taking lessons from Elvis, haven't you."

Real Elvis (as in "thank you, thank you very much") or our own kb Elvis? The former, not so much. The latter, yes of course. Debra has been my guide since the first time I posted a fic here, some of her greatness must have rubbed off to me.

And as for restaurants, I'd go with Old Amalfi's. It's not too expensive and the food sounds divine.

um. no comment. Heehee.

Thanks for reading!

~~~~~

Chris

re: team Willow being "in the bedroom" -- am I evil because I can so picture that.

"Use your tail!"

Oh man. *dreamy* you had to remind me of the genius that was Gold? *dreamy again* This is off-topic but when Car first talked with me about the new fic challenge, and how one of the criteria is that they have more unusual jobs, the first thing that came to my mind was Roses on a Field of Thorns because definitely unusual careers, no? [NOTE: Anyone who hasn't read Roses, please do so NOW, and see for yourself the meaning of superb, intense writing.]

I think I've figured out the most fundamental appeal of this story. Naturally there's the identification factor between geeks, and Willow and Tara both being sweet, and Tara being all perfect-woman-ly (works for me!), and the humour with the chat sessions, but bringing it down to the one single thing that's uniformly awesome, it's: Willow panics.

Wow. Yes. Perfect. *spazzes out* You're so right. Willow is smart, we all know that. She's socially anxious, we know that too. But when she panics, she does it with such a geek-like panache that we can't help but get caught up with it. Thanks Chris, muchly.

~~~~~

[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 8

"What do you think you're doing?" the tough Boston accent coming almost straight at her like a loud missile made her jump. She didn't have time to react before the owner of that voice plonked herself down at the fountainside.

"What?" Willow frowned at the interruption.

"You're reading that?" Faith asked pointedly, nodding at the copy of 'Dining Out in Style' that Willow was studying intently.

"What's it to you?" Willow retorted.

Faith shrugged. "Way out of your league, Red. Stop fantasizing," she said.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Willow said sullenly.

Faith leaned closer and pushed the magazine out of the way so she could stare Willow in the eye. "You have some chick on your mind. Otherwise why are you reading a magazine that's full of date places," she said sagely.

Willow sighed and put the magazine away. She picked up the tuna sandwich by her side and resumed eating. Faith was loudly munching on a large bag of chips.

"Faith, hypothetically, if you were to go out to a restaurant, where would you want to go?" Willow asked between bites of her lunch.

"It depends. Who with?"

"May be ... let's say ... me."

Faith almost choked on her chips. "You kidding me? No fucking way."

"Just hypothetically," Willow continued.

"I won't seen dead sitting at the same table as you in a restaurant," Faith snorted. "You stink of geek."

"Stink?"

"Yeah, geek stink. Hang around you any longer and I'll be contaminated. Still trying to get it on with that girl? Forget about her."

"Or what?"

"I just don't want to have to deal with you when you get rejected. Oh right, I don't care. See ya, loser."

With that, Faith took the soda that Willow had by her side, swigged it noisily and strutted off.

It was Friday afternoon, though Willow's workload never eased off. She was tired and irritated, and Faith's mocking words reverberated uncomfortably in her head.

When she got home, she knew she needed help.

[blockquote]
[19.56] Connecting ...
[19.56] Logging in ...
[19.56] *** Welcome to CGI:IRC 0.5.3 (2003/10/29)
[19.56] -basil.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Looking up your hostname...
[19.56] -basil.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Found your hostname, cached
[19.56] -basil.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Checking Ident
[19.56] -basil.cgiirc.blitzed.org- *** Got Ident response
[19.56] *** -
[19.56] *** - This is a CGI:IRC server connected to the Blitzed IRC Network
[19.56] *** hiddenred [www-data@n20407818022] has joined #geeklove
[19.56] *** mode/#geeklove [+nt] by ChanServ
[19.56] *** Topic is: our time is coming
[19.56] *** Topic set by harley [Thurs Aug 24 02:28:46 2006]
[19.56] *** Channel created on Fri Aug 25 15:33:21 2006

I found another action figure for my collection

your shelves must be hating you ... hi Willow

yeah I'm going to put in extra shelving, I have an eye on some new figures coming out in the summer

hello Willow, how are you?

I'm depressed

you have a date with your dream girl and you're depressed? why?

I have geek stink

geek stink?

geeks don't stink, I take issue with anyone who implies I stink

take it from me, we do

sounds like intervention time. Give me a minute, I'll get reinforcements

reinforcements?

1-800-merry-maids?

lol

*** uberqueen has joined channel #geeklove

*** wattysbrain has joined channel #geeklove

*** historygeek has joined channel #geeklove

behold, reinforcements!

hi folks

*historygeek slaps Willow a high five "yo dude, 'sup?"

you called for us?

you summon and we arrive

you guys are chatting elsewhere and not inviting us? makes me feel so wanted now

no elvis, we're working out the logistics of poker night, we were coming straight over when we finished

yes watty, remind me of how I *can't* attend the poker event

lol you were invited!

*** shadowfish has joined channel #geeklove

hi, mary can't join, she has to get ready for work

so, we're here Willow, hit us

um I feel stupid now

nothing is stupid. you were saying you're depressed?

and has geek stink

I was just saying that when I meet up with Tara on Sunday she'll laugh at me cuz I'm too geeky. I'll use the wrong fork or spill drinks over my shirt. or worse! all over her, and I'll never see her again

but the geek is part of your charm

just no stinky

most of it is packaging: get the right clothes and haircut and you'll be a different person

Phase 1 of Operation Willow Get the Girl: Makeover! wheeeee!

where's the fab five when you need them?

lol, if the fab five knocked on my door now, I'd kiss them one by one, despite the fact that they're guys

but gay guys, so it's okay

we can be Willow's fab five, or fab seven; we're gay enough lol

ahem

except Chris, he's a straight guy even though he's more lesbian than some real lesbians

should I feel honoured?

you should

*harley cracks fingers ... so are we ready?

the first step of a project is planning, we need to come up with objectives and deliverables and break these up into tasks

watty, take off that project manager hat

so what do I do?

what are you wearing now and what do you normally wear?

not intended to be personal

SXSW t-shirt and jeans

don't think you'll get your girl in that outfit

first, the techie t-shirt has to go

but don't change too much otherwise you'll be uncomfortable

now what's the budget?

-snip-
[/blockquote]

*****

Willow took a deep breath and timidly pushed open the glass door. Before her hand connected with the glass, it slid open with an almost silent whoosh. She stepped inside and immediately felt like she was being scrutinized.

"What can we do for you?" a heavily made up, but beautifully coiffed man greeted her, the corners of his mouth barely containing the mocking sneer.

Willow almost turned around and walked out, but at the last moment the words from her online group rang in her head.

[blockquote][font=courier]Beauty salon, not cheap $10 / 10 min cubicle places. [/font][/blockquote]

"Um, I need to cut my hair," she said, keeping her head down.

"Junior stylist, Associate or Senior?" the flamboyant man asked.

Willow was tempted to make an excuse and leave. Again the group's advice came through.

[blockquote][font=courier]Don't let them intimidate you. If you're not sure, ask.[/font][/blockquote]

"I need to change my style, it needs to suit my hair and face but not too showy. Who would you recommend?" she asked, suddenly finding assertiveness out of nowhere.

The man's demeanor perked up for the first time. "Now let me take a look at your hair," he said, stepping round the counter to Willow's side. "May I?" he asked before feeling the texture of her hair. "Your hair is very fine, but not in very good condition. You want something simple? I'm gonna give you Owen. He's very sensitive ... reads Emily Dickinson and all."

He brought Willow over to an blonde man, who struck Willow as not exactly the type of hairdresser she would expect to be in this type of place. He seemed too much like the boy next door. He settled Willow on the comfortable leather stylist's chair, mussed her already messy tresses even more, and regarded her expectantly. "So, what sort of style are you looking for?"

Willow was thrown into a panic again until she remembered the group debate about different styles.

[blockquote][font=courier]Keep it long and straight.

No, pixie look is modern and chic!

Don't go blonde, too weird.

Layers.

Bangs.

Get it colored.

Leave it up to the stylist[/font][/blockquote]

"Can I leave it to you?" she finally said.

"I think I know what you want. Make a good impression with a date?"

"Um, something like that."

"That's what I thought. Alright, let me make you irresistible."

And so for the next two hours Willow's hair was washed, teased, pulled, snipped and sprayed. It was exhausting and took far longer than she was used to. When Owen finally finished his handiwork and she looked at her new self for the first time, she was amazed. The person staring back at her from the other side of the mirror had hair that actually shone, and gentle waves framed her face. She thought it was someone else until she noticed the astounded expression and the open mouth; she snapped her mouth shut quickly and assumed what she hoped was a pleased expression.

"You don't like it?" Owen asked worriedly.

"Oh no! It's just different. But in a good way! I've never seen myself like this, I'm still processing," she re-assured.

"Irresistible?" he smiled.

"I don't know about that. I hope anyway," she smiled weakly.

"Well, he'd better be impressed. It's my best work this week," he said proudly.

"Um, it's not a ... nevermind ... I'm sure it'll make a splash," she agreed.

She felt taller when she left the hairdresser's, though she thought wryly that it may be because her wallet was lighter.

The clothing shop was much harder. She paced back and forth in front of the glass display window for a full ten minutes before mustering up the courage to enter. She just knew that as soon as she stepped in, everyone in the shop would stop what they were doing and scrutinize her. She had read about the 'elevator eyes' of sales assistants, who were able to determine mentally the amount of money a customer would spend as soon as they set foot inside the store.

She inched her way along the multitude of clothes rack at the side of the store, trying to browse inconspicuously. She ran her hands along the sleeve of a jacket, peered at the price label of a shirt (and quickly dropped it after looking at the figures and realizing there were no decimal points) and even took a sweater off the rack.

"How may I help you today?" She stared in horror at the sales assistant not two feet away from her, with a bright smile that was almost blinding. She turned away and ran toward the entrance.

Her group's advice sounded again.

[blockquote][font=courier]Don't panic when the sales person talks to you. Do NOT run away. Think of Tara. [/font][/blockquote]

"Think of Tara," she said to herself. And came to a grounding halt. She turned around and grinned sheepishly at the sales assistant, who managed to maintain a neutral expression on her face.

"Um just browsing, thank you," she said.

"Ok. If you need anything, I'm here to help," the assistant said before turning her attention to another shopper.

She tried on all sorts of outfits, all sorts of styles -- ones that she would previously never have thought of trying on. Punk, goth, flowery, retro, tight-fit, pink, preppy, paisley, even blouses and suits. In the end she went with the recommendation of the sales assistant and bought a red silk shirt and black pants that were almost dressy. It was a look that she wouldn't normally sport, but it wasn't such a radical change. What convinced her was that she didn't feel self-conscious when she looked at herself in the mirror. She was almost ... normal looking.

The assistant even helped Willow select a pair of boots that was a compromise between her usual sneakers and heels, which she was adamant she didn't want. A short discussion about accessories after the shoe purchase resulted in her buying a large chunky watch. She drew her limit on jewelry though.

Armed with her purchases her next destination was the restaurant she had narrowed down together with the group. They had perused almost every entry on the restaurant review website, and had come up with a short-list. In the end Willow decided on Italian food. Some of the others had advocated Asian fusion, others were in favor of Mexican, but everyone finally agreed that Italian was the safest and most versatile.

She had called Buffy and asked if her friend wanted to go out to a restaurant instead of meeting at Buffy's house. She was relieved that she was first to arrive, so she had a moment to compose herself.

"Hey Willow," Buffy arrived about ten minutes later. She already had the attention of the waiter and the rest of the restaurant, Buffy worked hard to maintain a glamorous image and she had always had 'presence.'

Willow smiled at her friend. "You found this place! I wasn't sure ... it's a little out of the way but I read that they have good food and excellent atmosphere," she said.

"I had a little trouble, but that's cuz I was trying to take a short cut, your directions were clear," Buffy said. Looking around, she added, "You're right about the atmosphere. They did really well with the décor; it's very understated. A perfect place to take a date actually."

Willow followed Buffy's gaze around the restaurant and for the first time, noticed that it was almost exclusively made up of tables of two. Some of the couples were definitely in dating mode.

"I, um, read about it on an online review and wanted to try it out. We can go somewhere else if you want," she suggested.

"Piffle! Let's stay here. Enjoy our food and watch the coupling. It'll be fun," Buffy laughed. "And we can catch up. Like you tell me the reason why you have this goofy grin on your face, why your hair has more mousse than mine, but most importantly, what you have in those large shopping bags behind you?"

The evening went well. Willow didn't tell Buffy everything about Tara, not wanting to jinx the dinner the next day, but giving Buffy enough details to satisfy her friend's curiosity. Meanwhile she tried to order a variety of items from the menu, and tried Buffy's dishes too. She made mental notes about food choices (arrabiata = spicy, bread comes with olive oil and balsamic vinegar), amenities (location of the washrooms, whether the air-conditioning was too high) and general observations.

One thing Willow Rosenberg was good at, it was research and organizing data.

*****

"Tara, it's Willow."

"Hi Willow."

"Um, I'm calling to confirm our dinner tomorrow."

"I've been looking forward to it."

Not as much as I have.

"How does Italian sound to you?"

"Sounds really good, I love Italian, I have yet to meet anyone who doesn't like Italian."

"That's true. It must be all the mac'n'cheese they fed us when we were young."

"I'm surprised that hasn't turned us against Italian food."

"Oh definitely!"

She felt really good. Comfortable. She didn't want the conversation to end even though it had barely started.

"So ..."

"Right! I've made reservations. It's called the Old Amalfi, corner of Clark and East 125th, do you know it?"

"I've never been there but I'm sure I can find it. Thanks for making the reservations."

"Not a problem. So, I'll see you tomorrow? Seven?"

"Yes. See you tomorrow, Willow."

*****
[br]

[viximon]

GAAAAAAAAA!! What a teaser. Willow sure wants to impress the girl. How cute. Can't wait for Tara to see. I'm looking forward to the date. Hope all go well for our girls. And I mean no spilling drinks around and stuff (though that would be surely funny he he)

Faith still gets on my nerves, her attittude is so... Aghhh!!
And I don't forgot Anya, she and Willow had already meet and they don't get along...If the little date goals and all that, I supose it will be inevitable to Tara to present Willow to her snobby friends and oh my that must be so crashing.

Great work, keep it up and update soon.
Take care

[JustSkipIt]

Part 8:
Grrr. What a jerk Faith is. I mean telling Willow that no one wants her because no one wants Geek Stink. First off, stink? Offended on behalf of Geeks and bathing. Second, there are people for just about everyone! Lots of people like Geeks.

But I'm not totally thrilled with the group here for encouraging Will to change that much. I mean a new hairdo and clothes? I guess I would tell her that if she doesn't feel confident, that's one thing but changing for Tara (who liked her before) doesn't seem like a great idea. I mean what if Tara really goes for the hair and clothes and 4 years down the line there they are:

Tara: We need to leave in five minutes. Is that what you're wearing?

Willow: (looks down at Ajax T-shirt). Well yeah.

Tara: Why can't you ever dress for a party? All my friends are going to be there.

Willow: This is how I dress. What's wrong with it?

I mean she shouldn't look like shit for the date and she definitely wants Tara to know that she made an effort but I'm less ok about the hairdo then the clothes. We'll see though.


Oh, one other thing. When I first read the title of this fic months ago, for some reason, the mental Image I got was circus performers. I think there was a popular book recently...

ETA: Owen as a sensitive hairdresser! Love it.

[Candleshoe]

I was identifying so much with poor old Willow in the hairplace and going shopping...and I cheered when she found some strength. It's amazing what the thought of a girl can make us do, isn't it!

I am still enjoying this so much, watty. You spin a darned good yarn.