Writing Buffy/Wesley: A Quick Primer

By Minim Calibre

There isn't a lot of canon support for this particular odd couple, but that doesn't mean that Buffy/Wesley pairings have to be out-of-character or especially removed from canon to work. If you're up for the challenge (and it can be a challenging pairing to write), here are some suggestions that help you stay within the famous "two-steps-of-canon" rule. (A link to which will be provided as soon as I find one.)

First, find a realistic way to get them in the same physical location. Even with the two-steps rule, we've got some flexibility here.

Physical Proximity Possibles

An AU where Wes replaces Giles and things go a bit differently. I used this as a starting point for Imposters In This Country. The tricky part is finding a reason why things have gone differently. You can't just say "Because Buffy decided Wes was an okay guy after all", or, well, you could, but it would be out of character and something of a cheat. Something has to be altered. Perhaps Faith isn't in the picture, or Mrs. Post never showed up. Ask the "what if?". What if Giles were dead? deported? decapitated? disabled? You get the picture. Caveats: this approach involves a lot of canon research to get it right. Also, you can run into some squicksome age issues.

Buffy goes to L.A. It's canon that Buffy's dad lives in L.A, and canon that she has gone there to visit him since Angel Investigations started up. This has the advantage of reducing the potential for Watcher/Slayer issues, and actually involves slightly less research than the AU approach. Caveats: Buffy's contact with her father is limited, which needs to be kept in mind if you are going to have her visiting him.

Wes goes to Sunnydale. This has the same advantages to Buffy going to L.A. For a good example of this device, check out Mer's Steps series. Caveats: Why would Wesley go to Sunnydale? Finding a reason can be your tricky bit with this one.

Now that the setting's taken care of, let's look at the characters.

Buffy and Wesley as a pairing

It's important to remember that, while they are no longer in the antagonistic relationship that defined their Sunnydale time together, they aren't exactly what you'd call close friends. This can work to your advantage. Consider snark the spark to get things started.

Keep in mind also what it is they have as common ground. They've both got an extremely practical streak, and both tend to pull away from their friends when they could most use them. They both internalize a lot of things, have unresolved parent issues—not to mention the unresolved Angel issues. Both of them seem more comfortable in some respects with the physical aspects of relationships. This is not to say that they're prone to casual flings (although there is canon support for that with Wesley). It's more that they don't trust easily. They both think, rightly or wrongly, that they know the best course of action.

Of course, a more prurient similarity is that, from what we've seen, they seem to have compatible kinks. If nothing else, that might serve as some inspiration.

Good luck, and happy writing.

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