soldtoarmenians | Just outside the school gates, early Friday morning

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Current Location: outside the gates

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Just outside the school gates, early Friday morning

There's a trunk, and a pile of suitcases and boxes. Even a frog-shaped wastebasket which is, at the moment, stuffed with clean socks and the blankets from Xander's bed. There's also a purple frog in a tank, and there's Xander, and there's Bridge.
___
[For broadcast, but locked to Bridge. Goodbye post is still open, though. Also OMGShut up, it's still morning...on the West Coast...for about 40 minutes...]

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"That--" ~~bites~~ "--works." Xander puts the hand he'd be gesturing with back on Bridge's shoulder.

He doesn't want to ask, or even think about it, wants to ignore the concept of needing to ask, and by damn he's a Scooby and the one thing he never did teach his class is the one thing they're best at, which is just that. Purposely not seeing things just as well as any other citizen of Sunnydale - just... different things.

"What're we doing about--" Xander wants to handwave, but that'd mean not touching Bridge. "--this? Us?"

"I don't want to break up," Bridge confesses. "I really, really don't."

"Me neither."

"Maybe we could just... I don't know. See how things go?" Bridge suggests. "If that doesn't sound completely crazy."

"You mean consciously refuse to make a decision instead of just pretending there isn't one to make? Whoa, that's like... people do that?" Xander teases, because if he's serious -- if he lets himself sound serious, right now, he'll... something.

"Going against the grain, and all that." Bridge says with a blush.

Because he's a dork, or just because he's Xander, and yes he knows that was redundant, he adds, "No matter what happens, I'll always be your friend." And then he bites his lip, because somehow that makes his nose prickle at him and his vision blur for a second when he's managed to hold it back through everything else.

"Always," Bridge agrees, turning around and burying his face against Xander's shoulder. "You were my first... everything. Well, technically not first kiss but first kiss that *meant* something."

Xander can't say that - there's a lot of firsts he can't say belong to Bridge, even if he kind of wishes some of them had.

"You're the first thing I didn't screw up," he says instead. And he doesn't add, 'I think' to that or put a question mark at the end of it, and that's something.

"I've got something for you," Bridge says, pulling away slightly but still holding one of Xander's hands in his own. "Hold out your hand," he says, nodding at the other one.

"I've got something for you too," Xander says, holding out his hand. "But it's in your yearbook."

"I'll look for it when I get back," Bridge promises. He then reaches up and takes his SPD badge from his uniform and presses it into Xander's palm, curling his fingers around it.

Xander doesn't know what to say, for a second, and fills that space with, "Are you sure--" before he shuts up. He's starting to say "Thank y--" when he hears the whooshing sound, and the purple light swims up in a circle around his luggage, not quite touching the spot where he's standing with Bridge.

And Bridge has seen the portal open before. Hell, he's *been* through the portal before. He knows that traveling through it *should* be perfectly safe. But there's something...

"Wait," he says, trying to keep the undercurrent of fear from showing in his voice.

The phone rings in Xander's pocket. He should laugh, possibly, because hearing Fall on me, tell me everything you want me to be coming from your pants is never not funny, even when your heart's breaking a little bit. He gives it a cracked smile at least as he answers, knowing who it is.

"You ready?" Willow's voice sounds like she's trying not to sound excited. "Not a big window of time for this one - we used most of that up already this week."

"Just... don't go through yet, okay?" Bridge implores.

"I'm here. Give us a second, okay, Will?" Xander says into the phone, and reaches for Jeremiah's tank, sitting on a low post by the gates, the last thing besides himself that isn't already within the circle of the portal.

"Brrrrbbbbrrppt!" The frog croaks loudly, jumping back into the corner of his tank as Xander moves it near to the shining purple arc.

And Jeremiah's reaction pretty much confirms the feeling that something is wrong that Bridge is picking up from the portal.

He slips off a glove and focuses on the portal, trying to figure out just *what* is wrong with it.

"Jeremiah can't go with you," Bridge says finally. "If both of you go through this portal-" he stops, unwilling to finish the thought.

It's a really good phone, apparently, because Willow picks that up from a universe away. "Ohhhh, crap, Xander. It's the time thing, probably. The portal's figured for Jeremiah coming too, but the extra stretchy stuff.." she trails off.

Xander looks up at Bridge, unsure of what to do.

"You need to go," Bridge says softly. "It'll be fine if you go by yourself. I can watch over Jeremiah for you."

"You can always come back to pick him up later," Willow says in Xander's ear. "But you do need to come through now if you're gonna be in time to get your orientation stuff done, Xander."

Xander takes a deep breath, because this isn't just one more thing, it's one more thing that he wasn't expecting, but he nods and carries the tank over to Bridge.

"Behave," he says as he taps on the lid. "No loud parties, be nice to the other Willow, and stay away from the Black Space Evil; you're not old enough."

Bridge can't help the slight giggle that escapes at Xander's instructions to Jeremiah as he takes the tank.

"I'll be a good frogsitter," he promises.

"I know."

There's Willow's voice on the phone, but Xander's not really listening as he says again, "Just one more second, okay. Please?" then slides the phone into his pocket.

He reaches for the hand that isn't holding a frog tank. The one that doesn't have a glove on it yet, either.

Xander doesn't have any more words, he's run out of them completely, so he hopes that whatever moves from his palm to Bridge's, or from his lips to Bridge's as Xander leans in to kiss him, can say everything he can't.

And it does. It really does. Bridge just lets himself drift in the tide of thoughts and emotions that are his and aren't his, at the same time.

Xander doesn't want to let go, but eventually he does. Has to. Has to breathe, and has to step back and move towards the portal, though it takes a long time for his fingers to finally peel away from Bridge's.

He pulls the phone out of his pocket and says, "I'm ready," into it before turning it off, even though it's a lie.

"I'll call you," he says to Bridge as he steps backwards into the slightly-flaring circle of violet light.

Bridge's heart sinks just a little at that, because while he knows Xander will *try*- he also knows the phone call won't get through.

And as Xander disappears, Bridge can't help that, despite the decision not to use the word, it still feels like...

"Goodbye."

[!!!!!.]

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Just outside the school gates, early Friday morning

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