The Fallen Slayer | TVD {1}

Two Sides Of The Same Coin

Buffy was almost positive Jeremy hated her now.

Though then again Jeremy was the one who asked to be trained, and until she managed to track down this vampire she at least wanted to give him some way to fight.

He would just have to suck up the whole waking him up at 5 am every morning for the next few months.

Plus dunking water on his head was just so much fun!

"Do we have to be up this early?" Jeremy moaned sleepily as he carried the contact pads and followed her out into the backyard.
Buffy just grinned, walking backward as she spoke to him "You asked me to teach you how to defend yourself." She reminded him with a smirk before gesturing to the spot in the middle of the yard.

Jeremy grumbled in annoyance and tossed the pads down before glaring over at her while wiping the sleep from his eyes "Yeah but-"

"Fine bye." She turned on her heels and started walking back toward the house leaving Jeremy in the middle of the garden.

She counted down from five in her head.

Sure enough, she had barely reached four before he called out to her "Wait!" Buffy smirked and turned back around dramatically strutting back over with that Cheshire cat smile on her face that left him glaring down at her.

His glare didn't bother her in the least. She had won.

"Good." She bent down and picked up the body pads and boxing gloves, tossing them right over to him.

As he started to pull on the protective gear he paused as he spotted her still standing there in her shorts and tank top. She was just examining her purple-painted nails, not bothering to even reach for her own protective gear.

Jeremy frowned in confusion "What about you?" He asked as he pulled on the elbow pads.

The question brought her back to one of her first training sessions with Giles. Jeremy had the exact same expression on his face that Giles had during those days.

She snorted thoroughly amused "Jer, I'm not going to need pads to fight you."

"Buff using pressure points against Tyler is one thing but-" Jeremy was cut off as Buffy grabbed his wrist and yanked him forward, sending him flying over her back.

As he landed on his back, the wind sufficiently knocked out of him, Jeremy let out a wheezing cough. Groaning at the pain spreading up his back, he blinked only to sigh as he found Buffy standing over him with a playful seemingly innocent smile on her face.

Like she hadn't just flipped him through the air and sent him crashing onto his ass.

"You want those pads now?"

Jeremy grumbled in frustration before banging the back of his head lightly against the grass. This training was seriously going to suck.

He was starting to think that asking Buffy for help was a very bad idea.

And would likely result in a lot of pain.

"Damn it." He huffed "Fine." 

Buffy grinned before hauling Jeremy back up onto his feet.

They started off with some basic boxing moves, just getting Jeremy comfortable throwing a punch. While he had argued he knew how to throw a punch, she had proved that his idea of a punch made him too vulnerable.

He was throwing his body forward, losing all balance which left him at a disadvantage in a fight. Especially when up against a stronger opponent.

He needed to punch with his core and be light on his feet. The quicker he was the safer he would be.

Ducking under the roundhouse punch he sent toward her head, Buffy rolled across the grass before coming back up behind him.
Bouncing on her feet she swung her arm out causing Jeremy to groan as the hit connected with the side of his ribs.

"Look at my eyes, not my fists." She suggested before the two started circling each other again, sweat dripping down both of their faces "So, I have a question. What happened to your sketching?" The question caused Jeremy to falter allowing her to send a sharp jab to his stomach before bending to her knees and sweeping out his feet from under him.

Okay, maybe it was more dirty boxing than anything.

"I haven't seen you draw since I moved in."

Jeremy had always loved drawing and had been a ridiculously talented artist.

The question had clearly hit a nerve as Jeremy just clenched his jaw and hauled himself back up to his feet "Just not feeling it." He snarled throwing his fist at her, only for Buffy to simply step out of the way. Yet again he had thrown his entire body weight into the fight, sending him crashing back into the grass.

"Liar." Buffy replied matter-of-factly, she had literally sent Jeremy a sketchbook for his last birthday. Plus when he was little he always used to give her his drawings in hand-made picture frames.

Hauling him back up onto his feet, she sighed sadly "It's me Jer. So truth."

Rubbing his hand over his jaw, Jeremy glared up at the blue sky above them before moving back into his defensive position. The anger and tension slowly faded out of his body as they started trading blows again "I will make you a deal. For every question you ask, I get one too."

He was bargaining with her and Buffy wasn't surprised. He was willing to open up only if she did too, which was fair.

"Sounds fair." She reluctantly agreed before a playful grin covered her lips, hoping to lift the emotional tension that had filled their session. If this was more lighthearted it would feel like less of a big deal to open up.

For both of them.

"I mean I was more thinking for every punch you land I answer one. Which means I wouldn't have had to answer any."

Jeremy laughed before swinging his foot at her knee only for her to cartwheel out of the way. He could do nothing but stare at her in disbelief.

How she learned to do all this was beyond him.

A part of his brain was convinced she had spent the past four months on the run working as a mercenary or something.

She was half his size and kicking his ass while barely breaking a sweat. His heart felt ready to explode.

"Dick." He teased with a roll of his eyes. If possible her taunting tone just made him all the more determined to at least land one punch today.

"Whatever Little Bear."

Despite how much he didn't want to, Jeremy smiled before inhaling tightly. Summoning his courage to answer the first question "Mom gave me my first sketchbook. Haven't really felt like going back to it since..." He didn't need to finish the sentence for her to know what had caused him to stop "My turn, what the hell happened to your sketches? They're all crazy now."

They were doing this at a rapid speed, which was probably the only way they were going to admit some of these things without tearing up.

"Nightmares." All of her sketches were nothing but demons, vampires, and dark shadows. The things that haunted her sleep and her real life.

Jeremy faltered at her answer, her constant nightly disappearances and consumption of coffee suddenly making a lot more sense "Is that why you have been sneaking out at night?"

Buffy sent a sharp jab to his shoulder before grabbing his wrist, using it to twist his arm behind his back "Nope. It is my turn!" She released him and swung her leg toward his side.

He managed to block it with his arm which had her smiling proudly.

"What started the fight with Tyler?"

"He is a dick." That went without question "The Mayor's son, so gets away with everything. Pushed me too far."