It was odd as all hell. Bizarre, I tell ya'.
Okay, so after the whole "crying" incident, I walked him back to his room. He turned to me with this sad smile on his face and nodded. He didn't have to say anything for me to know he was thanking me. I smiled a small smile and watched as he turned his back, opened his door, and closed himself in his room. And I didn't have to be able to hear through the metal walls to know that he cried himself to sleep that night.
But you know what the odd thing really was? The next day, he acted like not a damn thing had happened. He was still the same cold bastard as before.
"Damn, Jet! Don't you ever send that...that thing in my room to wake me up again!" Faye shouted as she ambled down the stairs and into the living room rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Ein trotted past her feet then, yipping his reply as he caused her to stumble and nearly knocked her on her ass. Jet, who was in the kitchen at the table, looked over his newspaper and smirked.
"Hell, I didn't think he'd actually do it..." he chuckled before he resumed his reading. Faye shot the scampering imp a heated glare then resumed her walk to the kitchen table. She pulled out a chair and plopped down. She yawned uncouthly and reached a hand up to scratch the mess that was her hair. Her eyes focused on the table for but a moment and she froze mid-yawn.
"Yes, it's eggs. And bacon, and toast," said Jet without even having to look up from his paper. "I've already had my share so just go ahead and eat." He flicked his wrist and flipped his papers down to see that she had already begun to stuff down her food. He shook his head.
"Looks like a lady, sounds like a lady, smells like a lady, but sure as hell don't act like one..." he grumbled under his breath.
"So where's the brat?" she asked before she stuffed a whole piece of toast in her mouth. Jet shrugged.
"Haven't seen her since I woke up. She went off babblin' some shit about explorin'..." he mumbled. Faye swallowed, a large lump passing down her throat.
"And Puff-Ass?" she asked. He shook his head, opting not to ask about her choice of name for Spike.
"Still sleep," he answered her. Faye snorted, leaning over the table to stick her fork into his eggs.
"You snooze, you lose," she said as she stabbed a bit of scrambled egg.
"Don't you even think about it, Cow," Spike snapped as he stumbled into the kitchen much like she had earlier. He dropped down into the chair opposite her and she quickly retracted her hand to stuff her fork into her mouth.
"I wasn't doin' nothin'," she laughed, knowing there was no way she hadn't been caught. He glared evilly at her before picking up his set of chopsticks. For a moment, she felt guilty. The poor guy had had a rough night. She decided to be nice to him that morning.
"...Sorry," she said with a sheepish look. Jet's paper dropped then, his eyebrows lifted in surprise. Spike scoffed, still looking at his plate as he ate.
"For what? Being a bitch? I forgave you for that the day I met you," he quipped. Faye pursed her lips as her eyebrow twitched. Here she was apologizing maturely and he was acting like a damn juvenile. Maybe he was just still sour...
Giving him the benefit of the doubt, she took a deep breath and tried again.
"No, for stealing your eggs. It wasn't... considerate of me..." she said, trying to tell him what she meant with her eyes instead of saying it out loud. He looked up at her for a brief moment before stabbing a piece of bacon and stuffing it into his mouth.
"You're never considerate. You're always stealing from me. Why should I expect any less?" he asked her coldly. Jet had folded his paper in his lap by now, his interest highly peaked. Faye bit her bottom lip, an angry flush painting her face as she squeezed her fork and imagined plunging it into the side of his neck.
"Alright, turd head, I'm trying to be nice here..." she warned through gritted teeth. Her eyes narrowed evilly as he looked up at her pointedly and shoved some eggs into his mouth.
"Well, I didn't ask you to be nice, did I, wench...?" he said, putting extra emphasis into his last word.
"Okay, what the fuck is goin' on here?" Jet asked suddenly. He knew something had happened between them, something bad. He just wasn't sure what. Ignoring him, Faye stood up and slammed her fork down on the table.
"Listen, you little shit. Personally, I don't give a good fuck's worth of worry as to why you're angry with me. I haven't done anything to you. I'm just trying to be civil," she told him. Spike laughed, it coming out like a deep, sharp bark rather than amusement.
"You, civil? Don't make me piss myself with laughter," he told her. She smirked then, something foul boiling in her head.
"Wouldn't be surprising. God only knows what else you probably do in your sleep..." she said tauntingly. Almost immediately after the words left her mouth, Faye wished she hadn't said them. She knew it was a low blow, but he was getting her angry. Something fierce passed through his eyes and his mocking smirk tightened to a thin line. Faye felt her gut quake remorsefully, but it was too late to take back what she had said. So she grinned instead, putting on a front of ridicule.
"You're a damn slut, Faye..." Spike mumbled angrily. Faye shrugged.
"So be it. Better than bein' a crybaby," she replied.
Fuck!! she thought, mentally slapping her forehead.
She just couldn't seem to keep her mouth shut.
"Okay, now I demand to know what's going on!" said Jet. Once again, he was ignored as the two glared daggers at each other.
"Go to hell, bitch," Spike growled.
"You first, mobster," she coerced.
"Ah, fuck it to hell... I'm goin' to my bonsai room. You nuts had better not come in there botherin' me..." grumbled Jet as he rose from his seat and left the kitchen.
"Dammit!" Faye suddenly shouted, slamming her hand down on the table, "I don't feel like arguing with you, Spike! I'm leaving!" She snatched up her plate and stomped out, only to have him scramble out of his and run after her.
"Oh, no you don't! I'm still fuckin' yellin' at you!" he shouted.
"What are you, my father? I don't fucking think so, so FUCK OFF!!" she turned and shouted in his face before resuming her brisk walking.
Mumbling something incoherent, Spike reached out and gripped her arm, snatching her back around to face him. Faye retaliated immediately, thrusting her other arm forward to throw her plate in his face. But Spike was too quick, ducking as her arm swung over his head. The plate was propelled through the air and crashed into the metal wall, splintering into uncountable pieces and leaving smudges of her breakfast in its wake. They both turned to look at the wall, then at each other.
"Don't you ever put your hands on me, you psycho!" she hollered, her face flushing with even more anger. If the situation hadn't been so heavy, Spike would have laughed in her face. She looked like a cartoon thermometer about to pop.
"I'm fed up with your shit, Faye! You're nothing but a damn leech! All you do is suck, suck suck-- and I don't mean just money, you whore!" he hollered back leaning over so that he towered over her.
"I look damn good for my age, you son of a bitch! You go and find an eighty year old who still has teeth to suck, suck, suck! And I'll bet you still wouldn't get any!" she retorted.
"You know what? One of these days, your age is gonna' catch up to you, Faye. And when that happens, your skin is gonna' drop from your bones, your face will shrivel, and your organs'll turn to mush. You'll shrink to the old, decrepit hag you are on the inside!" he shouted.
I gasped in horror at what he had just said. I was shocked, absolutely shocked. Sure, Spike and I fought a lot, but we always avoided the sensitive spots. You know, his Julia, my past. We skimmed over the spots sometimes, but we never got anymore deeper than that. But he had to hit below the belt.
My face twisted into an ugly scowl as fresh anger burned in every crevice of my brain.
"Yeah, Spike? Well however decrepit I may look, I still won't look half as bad as Julia while she's rotting in her FUCKING GRAVE!!" Faye said, rising on her toes so that he'd get the full brunt of her loud comment. Then she shoved him.
"I'm so damn tired of hearing about your goddamn fallen angel, Spike! Fuck her! Fuck her! FUCK JULIA!!!" she said. She shoved him again. He stumbled back this time, a surprised look on his face. She sidestepped and shoved him once more so that he hit his back against the wall.
"You always call me a slut, but do you have any proof? Do you know any men that I've slept with? Where is your evidence? You know what I think? I think Julia's the slut! She slept with you and Vicious, you nearly died for it, and she acted like she didn't even care! Angel? Pfft! She was a slut! She--" she said waving her hand in his face.
Suddenly she stopped, noticing how close she was to him and his facial expression. His eyes were closed to narrow slits, and what little she could see looked pinkish-red. His nostrils flared wildly as he breathed, his lips parted as heavy puffs escaped his mouth and brushed across her face. She was in trouble.
"Maybe I should go to... my... room..." she said as she took a step backwards.
But quick as lightening, Spike's hand shot out and caught her wrist, halting her retreat. Faye swallowed, her eyes widening to saucers as he stepped forward. He leaned in and instantly Faye's hand flew up to shield her face... and she waited for the pain to come...
...and waited...
...and waited...
... and waited.
Faye cracked an eye open to peer cautiously at Spike and her other eye sprang open as her hand dropped to her side. Tears streamed down his face like rivers, his face was blushing red, and he was biting his bottom lip. He looked like he was ready to explode. Faye cocked her head to the side curiously, her midnight strands swaying like a curtain.
"What're you--"she began, but she was cut off when Spike's forehead thudded onto her shoulder. She winced, thinking he was trying to hit her. His chest began to shake against hers and she bit her lip as her eyes began to well up with tears. This was just too familiar. She hated to see him hurt, especially if she was the one who caused it. She brought her other arm up to wrap it around his shoulders.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Spike. That was very dirty of me. I don't know what--" she was interrupted once again when Spike's body jerked back from her grasp. He threw his head back as tears flowed down his face and his loud voice filled the corridor.
He was laughing.
Faye sniffled, her eyebrows drawing together tautly as she watched his guffawing form shake hysterically. She frowned, realizing she was about to cry for a laughing fool.
"You jerk! I thought you were crying again!" she hollered as she stumped her foot.
She growled and her arms shot out to shove him hard into the wall again, but he was still holding onto her wrist and she stumbled as he dragged her with him. She hit his chest face first and almost instantly, she felt her face heat up. Again she tried to dislodge herself from him only to have him yank her back. She glared up at him. He had sobered up a little by then and he raised his wrist to wipe his face off as soft chuckles came from his lips.
"What the hell are you laughing at?! We were arguing as I can remember!!" she shouted at him. He stopped laughing then, and placed both arms around her waist to pull her nearer. He leaned in close, brushing the bridge of her nose with his own. His eyes sparked mischievously and his bright smile fell to a grin.
"Shut up, Faye..." he said breathily. He exhaled and the warm air trickled across her lips. Faye opened her mouth and inhaled sharply, unconsciously trying to draw in as much of him as she could. This hadn't escaped Spike's keen eye, and he chuckled a bit at the reflex.
Faye licked her lips slowly as her jade eyes roamed his face observantly. Spike followed the movement unblinkingly, moaning low in his throat. The sound caught Faye off guard and she jumped before a wide smile slid on her face.
"God, you're gorgeous..." Spike mumbled quietly. He tugged at her waist a bit and Faye titled her face upward.
"You're an angel," he whispered. Faye's body instantly froze up in his arms. She blinked rapidly as her brain processed his sentence.
"What... did you just call me?" she asked him.
"Angel..." he responded, still too coiled in his own lustful spell to realize she was offended. Faye ripped out of his arms, her scowl boiling with disgust. Spike blinked out of his daze and looked at her curiously.
"I don't think so, Spike. I'm not a substitute," she sneered. Spike screwed his face up in confusion.
"Faye, what the hell are you talking about?" he asked her. Faye took another step back, shaking her head slowly.
"I won't be used to replace her," she said. Spike took a step forward.
"Faye, please, tell me what the hell is going on!" he pleaded.
"You called her Angel, Spike! You called her Angel while you were sleep walking! I'm not Julia! I never will be!" she hollered before she shook her head and stormed off towards her room. She was closing her door when a foot jutted itself into her doorway and jammed the door.
"Shit, Faye! You won't even give me a chance!" he shouted into the doorway. Faye pushed at the door. If he ended up without a couple of toes, it wouldn't be her fault.
"Why should I?! I'm not some damn stand-in! You'll always be thinking of her while you're kissing me!" she shouted back.
"Damnet, would you just fucking listen to me! Let me in!" he snapped. Faye sighed and slid from the door. She walked away from it and threw herself on top of her bed with a groan. Spike pushed the door open and walked in casually, strolling across the room to plop down beside her on her bed.
"Now, what the hell are you tripping about?" he asked her calmly. She turned her face and buried it deep into her pillow.
"Iffto fernaph finnapha pitaffinor bfftfinna," she said. Spike leaned over her lazily prone form.
"I can't understand you," he told her. Faye inhaled deeply, then exhaled in a groan before she flipped over on her back and blew her bangs out of her face.
"I'll never be what you want... you and I both know I can't compare to your first love and I'm no Angel..." she said wearily.
"How do you know what I want?" he replied. Faye sat up and looked at him, tiredness evident in her eyes.
"I'm a slut. Remember?" Faye said. Spike cringed visibly. He hated himself for saying that to her. He sighed and looked down at his lap.
"I didn't mean it," he said quietly.
"Then why did you say it?" she asked him, her voice cracking at the end of her question. Spike looked at up her again and reached for her hand, a crooked grin on his face.
"I'm sorry. I wanted to hurt you. I was taking out what Julia did to me on the wrong person. I was mad at her, not you," said Spike.
"But I'm not her, Spike!" Faye said, snatching her hand away and standing in front of him. Spike stood as well and ran his hand through his thick hair, a stern look on his face.
"I know that, Faye! Would you let me speak?! I'm trying to fucking apologize here!" he shouted. Faye swallowed, folding her arms across her chest.
"Listen, I said I'm sorry. What the hell else do you want from me?! I can't fucking take back what I said and I already feel like fucking shit for it, so either drop it or kick me out!" he said. Faye frowned.
"Way to fucking apologize!" she yelled. Spike sighed and held his hands up defensively.
"You-- you're right. I apologize... again. Look, I don't want to fight with you anymore," he said. Faye's face softened. She stepped up to him and took his hand, which caused him to look down at her in surprise. She didn't want to argue anymore, either.
"Spike?" Faye said. He nodded, telling her he was listening.
"Yes?" he said attentively. She raised a hand to scratch the back of her head uncomfortably.
"Do you really think...?" she started.
"Do I think what?" he asked coaxingly.
"Do you really think that stuff is gonna' happen to me? You know, with my age?" she asked him. Spike shook his head slowly and pulled her up against him again. He lowered his face to kiss the corner of her mouth gently. He moved to place one in the juncture of her jaw bone and neck. His tongue slithered from his mouth to graze a warm trail down to her exposed collarbone where he began to suck at her skin. Faye shuddered under his sultry touch and he bit back a masculine-flared grin. She closed her eyes as she felt one of his hands slither down her waist to her hips and around to her rounded ass. He gripped it softly and moaned quietly, causing a shiver to travel down her spine and to her legs.
"I hope not. It'd be a waste of a great ass..." he whispered against her skin.
It couldn't be helped. Faye exploded with laughter. She slumped against his chest and he reared his head back to look down at her. She was laughing so hard it made him smile.
"You're... such... a... fucking... pervert!" she managed to say between laughs. He turned several shades of red before he too began to laugh. Pretty soon, they were lying on the floor together; legs entangled and clutching at each other as they fought for air. At that moment, Jet walked past the room. Without stopping, he looked in, snorted, then shook his head.
"I don't even want to know anymore... fucking morons..." he mumbled as he continued down the hall.
AN: Wow, that was weird, eh? Sorry this chap came out so oddly. But itIS titled "Oddities", is it not?
I don't know what the hell came over me. LOTSA cursing, huh? Yeah, I like curse words.
Anyway, fret not, dear readers! This isn't the end! I wouldn't end a S/F without a kiss! Unless it was an odd one-shot. Yep, gotta' have the kiss. I don't want you guys to feel cheated.