Stranger Things.

It was uncanny, how much Giles' new apartment resembled Giles' old apartment while being nothing like. The layout was different, the lamps were warm orange, not green, there was no stairs, the bedroom was at the end of a corridor, and the kitchen was large and spacious and had a grand wooden counter in the middle of it. Books were everywhere, of course, but some of the thick volumes were unfamiliar to Xander, and some of the familiar covers had disappeared when Sunnydale did.

But the smell was the same, and the sense of peace. No wonder Xander tended to end up here after every journey to find and bring a new Potential to the Council. They all regarded Giles' place as a safe haven, and even though Buffy was in Italy, Willow in India, and he... in all sorts of places, that hadn't changed.

Of course, some things did change. Like, for example, how beer appeared on the list of beverages Giles' offered when Xander visited. The day Giles added it to the usual selection of tea, coffee and soda, Xander's jaw dropped. What, was he an adult now? Apparently so.

He even got used to the British beer. Stranger things had happened, after all.

Like, for example, the surreal discovery of Giles' musical taste, and, subsequently, his records collection. Xander snorted in recollection, just to get a mild glare from the man himself.

“Shh. That's the good bit,” Giles told him, his fingers cradling the bottle twitching, as if playing the imaginary accords. Xander nodded. Of course it was the good bit. Every song they played had a good bit. No wonder the conversation was progressing so well.

He took a swing from his bottle, then smiled. “So, truth or dare?”

Giles glanced at him. Sure, they had started that game, oh, four visits ago, but Xander was sure it was still his turn. “Truth.”

Xander nodded. “How did the date went?” Giles had finally gave in and went out with Alyson from Research, presumably to stop her from dropping all her papers whenever he was around.

Giles groaned. “About as well as expected,” he muttered, staring intently at his hands. “Sometimes I think we're simply not meant to...” he paused, considering, “get romantically involved.”

Somehow Xander thought Giles didn't meant himself and Alyson. It also echoed another conversation he had had recently. “Yeah... You know, Wesley said something similar last time I had seen him,” he said casually, concentrating on his beer to avoid Giles' searching glance. “And your turn,” he added.

Giles rolled his eyes. “Truth or dare? Remind me, why do we keep playing this?”

Xander smiled. “Dare. Because we need to fill the space between 'the good bits' with something.”

Another eye-roll. Xander held back the remark of getting stuck that way.

“Fine. I dare you to go to the kitchen and get me another beer.”

“That's it?” Xander shook his head. “Wasting perfectly good dare because you're lazy?”

Giles smiled. “Foiled again. Now, my beer?”

Xander made his way to the kitchen, still shaking his head. He took a beer out of cupboard for Giles, and one from the freezer for himself. Warm beer was an abomination. He also rummaged through the bottom drawer where Giles was known to stack his snacks, and found a pack of peanuts. The background music changed. Apparently Giles' got tired with the sixties and moved on to the seventies.

“Truth or dare?” Xander offered, handing Giles his bottle, and receiving a nod of thanks followed by a long-suffering sigh in return.

“Truth.” Probably to avoid moving, Xander thought. Fine by him.

“What's the deal between you and Wesley?” he asked quietly, not looking up.

Another sigh, not the theatrical one this time, but a weary, sad little one. “There's no 'deal', Xander. There's... we...” he shook his head. “That's nothing.”

Yeah, right. “That's why you keep flirting like crazy, and then, whenever something may come of it, one of you backtracks so quickly you'd think a demon was chasing you?” he snorted. “Even Buffy noticed that, and you know it's serious when she clues in to other people's affairs.”

“While I'm flattered you lot take so much interest in my affairs,” Giles offered dryly, eyes fixed on the carpet, as if the pattern there was the most interesting thing ever. It wasn't. “I'd really prefer you didn't.”

“Not gonna happen, G-man,” Xander stated firmly. “Because we care, whether you want it or not.”

Something in the way he said it caused Giles to look up, and Xander cringed mentally. He didn't say too much, did he? “Truth or dare?” he asked to cover, and cringed again. It wasn't his turn.

But apparently Giles either forgot or didn't mind, because he was still looking at Xander searchingly. “Dare.”

Huh. “Ask Wesley out,” he said quietly. Giles kept looking at him. “I mean, only if you want to. It's not like...”

“Fine,” Giles interrupted him.

“...you have to... really?” Xander blinked. “Okay. Great. Have fun,” he muttered.

Giles smirked. “You're going, too,” he said, and Xander blinked again. “Someone has to ensure that there will be no, ah, backtracking involved,” he added, but there was something more about the invitation, too. Something that...

“Yeah. Sure. Someone has to make sure you two don't screw this up,” he offered cheerfully. Stranger things had happened.