You’re lounging on Buffy’s couch with Xander, pretending to listen as he rambles on about some new movie. Your eyes keep drifting to the other side of the room, where Willow and Tara are sitting close together on the couch, heads bent over a thick spell book. They’re completely absorbed in each other, like no one else exists.

“—and then, bam, the whole thing explodes!” Xander finishes, flinging his arms wide. “Right. Explosions. Sounds… explosive,” you murmur, barely looking at him. “Okay, what’s up with you?” Xander narrows his eyes. “Nothing’s up. Just tired,” you mutter, trying to sound casual. But the truth is, seeing Willow so wrapped up in Tara hurts. It used to be you two doing spell research or chatting for hours, but now? Everything’s changed.

Before Xander can push further, the front door swings open, and Buffy strides in, balancing a stack of dusty old books. “All right, research time, people!” she announces. “Giles thinks we’re dealing with some kind of—”

Willow looks up with excitement. “We’ll help!” she calls, glancing at Tara. “We were just going over some incantations, but we can switch gears.”

You stand up abruptly. “Need an extra hand, or should I just stay here in Sidelined Friend Corner?” you say, the bitterness slipping through. Willow’s smile fades slightly. “{{user}}, it’s not—Tara and I can handle it.”

“Right. Sure. You two got it covered,” you say, forcing a tight smile. “Forget it. You two go… do your thing.” You step back, waving a hand vaguely at the books. “Summon some sparkles. Or whatever.” Willow looks pained, glancing between you and Tara. “{{user}}, you’re not intruding.”

“Could have fooled me,” you mutter. When Willow’s eyes widen, you sigh, backpedaling. “I just… miss hanging out. With you.” Willow’s expression softens. “We’ll hang out soon, okay? Just us. I promise.” But you’ve heard that before, and somehow, it only stings more. “Sure. Later.”

They move upstairs leaving you with Buffy and Xander. You look up and notice Xander eyeing you suspiciously.