Title: Dear Boy
Writer: Azure K Mello
Part: (13/?)
Thanks for all the feedback!!
Challenge/plot bunny by Angela (who is the personification of patients), who wanted chipped Spike interacting with human Darla and for Angel to swoop in playing our golden boy's brooding knight!
Not Beta-ed
Setting: After Angel's Untouched and set directly after Buffy's Crush which has been moved up in the time line as Dru went straight to Sunnydale and was never in LA.
Rated R
Note: in this story Buffy isn't a total bitch. Are ya shocked? Also a bit of this is focused on Xander angst. Sorry if it offends.
Angel was exhausted. He wanted nothing more than to drop into bed with his childe and sleep. The bitch had thought that by staying human she would avoid his wrath. He had informed her that no, it just meant a quicker death. And he felt drained. He had forgotten how long it took to suffocate a body, a good three minutes. As he neared his room he heard laughter.
"No!" Spike said, "You're joking me right? I wish I'd seen her face. So her shoes must be ruined huh?. . . She didn't ask. . . It's not my fault. . . No! She asked how to kill it she never asked about whether or not they puked purple stomach fluid while in death throws. So did Giles manage not to laugh?. . . oh I'm sure! Bloody hell, I can't believe I missed it." Spike looked up as Angel walked through the door. He took in how gray his sire looked and said, "I'll speak to you soon, pet. Bye." He hung up the hotel phone and turned back to the older vamp. "Go well?"
"I strangled her; she made weird noises. You got out of the bath."
"All by myself," nodded Spike, "And I could put on my own pants and everything." Angel laughed but drank up the sight of Spike in nothing but his boxers. The younger vampire felt stupid for his earlier protests about being nude in front of Angel. "You'll be able to leave soon."
"Spike," Angel paused, "I don't want to sound like your evil sire. But I'm not letting you stay here. You can't defend yourself from humans. I won't let you fend for yourself. I know you're a big boy and you don't need me. . . but I just can't let you stay here."
Spike was silent for a long pause and then said softly, "I needed you tonight. And I really could have used you three day's ago."
"Are you?-" Angel was stunned and unable to find the words. He had expected Spike to rage and rant about being a master vampire. Never had he thought his childe would resign himself so quickly. It was a testament to how scared Spike had been, he seemed lonely, he only had Xander in Sunnydale. Maybe he was ready to come back to the fold.
"Don't make me say it out loud." Spike looked at him sternly. There was no way he was either going to thank Angel or say that he would willingly leave Angel. He vaguely remembered thanking Angel in the recent past. Blood loss made you say stupid shit. Angel reached out to give him a hug and Spike shrank back, "I'm not willing to be your whore. And if that's why you want me then I can't go." Earlier he had begged Angel to stay had practically suggested that Angel should've raped him if it ensured that he would stay by the blond's side. But again, he had blood now, and he was able to button his own shirt. "I can't do it. I'm sorry." He apologized softly feeling ashamed that he, a childe, would refuse his sire.
"I didn't expect you to be. I don't want that. I never did. I want to love you." Angel was horrified at the way Will's mind worked.
"I can't be your lover either. Not right now. I'm not strong like that."
"Ok," said Angel softly. He walked towards Will like one would a wounded animal. "Anything that happens between us will be what you start. I won't do anything. Just promise me you'll come home."
Thinking for a moment Spike finally said, "Xander's gonna be mad. I don't want him to think I just leaving him."
Desperately biting back his jealousy Angel said, "You two really got close, huh?"
"He's the closest thing I've ever had to a friend. Hell maybe he is a friend, I don't know, I've never had one. I didn't even have one when I was human." Spike laughed.
"Does he know that you're just friends?" asked Angel. He had smelled the boy and he was a walking pheromone.
Spike said nothing for a second, not wanting to answer that question. So he went back to the thought about having a friend and what it meant. "I just know that when I talk to him," he rolled his eye as the thought went through his head even before he said it aloud it sounded stupid, "It's almost like love except I would never ever shag Harris." Spike could smell all the emotions pouring off his sire. Once upon a time the smell would have scared him. If Angelus smelled like that Spike would have ended up bleeding in some way or another. But now he just smiled comforted Angel's jealousy, "He's not what I want."
"What do you want?" Angel growled.
Spike studied him for a minute before saying, "I thought I made it pretty obvious when I cried over not being your perfect childe. All I ever wanted was to be perfect for you." The words were slow and bitter. "If we're leaving tonight I need to sleep." He climbed under the covers and Angel just watched him dumbfound. He slid out of his shirt and jeans and slid between the sheets.
He was surprised when Spike reached behind himself to pluck Angel's wrist up and put the old vampire's arm around his waist. "What are you doing?" asked Angel softly.
Sliding back in the bed so that his back was flush with Angel's chest he said, "you told me I could start what I wanted. This is what I wanted."
Angel was confused, "And what exactly is this that you've started?"
"I'm having my sire keep me close so I don't dream while I'm asleep."
"I don't like it." His voice was hushed as he spoke not wanting anyone in the shop to hear.
"Have you told Buffy?" asked Giles who looked as confused as Xander felt.
"No, if Spike said Dru sired him then let her think it. Why is Angel here?"
"You said Spike was wounded? How badly?"
He didn't want to betray Spike's confidence. . . especially as Spike hadn't actually confided in him. But he had needed to talk to someone about it and Giles was the only person he could imagine discussing it with. "Badly," was his simple answer. "Angel's stuck on taking Spike away."
"Maybe it's for the best," Giles sighed. He had watched the two grow close and it wasn't hard to see that Xander had fallen for the vampire. "He could take care of him. He knows what Spike needs more than we do."
"You think Spike'll go?" asked Xander and he sounded hopeful. His tone was begging Giles to lie but the man couldn't do it.
"I think he'll go with his sire."
The sound of a pin dropping ripped the air between them. Xander had wanted the man to lie to him. He didn't want to believe that Spike would leave him -them-. He didn't want to believe that Spike would leave them. And, just as he was about go home and listen to country music and wallow, Buffy burst through the door. "Oh good, Xander, have you seen Spike?"
"Why would I have?" Xander still got defensive when the group talked about his and Spike's friendship.
Buffy just smiled. "Because you're, like, his social organizer and you're his friend." She saw how Xander looked at Spike. She was sort of pleased. No, her feelings towards Spike hadn't changed. He was evil. But the bleached wonder was good for her friend. He made Xander happy and he made Xander feel good about himself. And he would never hurt Xander. She was pretty sure Spike liked the Xan-man that way. That made him ok in her books. Plus, she was looking forward to when they eventually got together. She would torture Xander with her understanding and kindness. Prove just how much of a jerk he had been while she was with Angel. She couldn't wait!
Xander blushed, so he was defensive was that really a problem? "Oh. Yeah. A friend of his came to visit and they got a hotel room." Buffy's face fell. She heard the note of sadness that Xander was trying to conceal. "He's gonna go live with his friend. I'm pretty sure he's done here."
With slayer speed Buffy came forward and gave him a crushing hug, "I'm so sorry."
"For what?" asked Xander sounding slightly confused. He honestly believed that the scoobies didn't know about his feelings so Buffy's hug seemed random.
Thinking fast Buffy had to justify herself, "For your loss. You're gonna be the only guy again." Giles cleared his throat and Buffy just rolled her eyes, "You don't count, you've gone through menopause. You aren't a guy anymore. You're just an old guy."
Laughter broke the thick air. The tension vanished. Giles would have been a lot more upset had it not been for Xander's peals of laughter.
Look! It's almost a respectable length not ubber short. Are you guys proud?
