Day 13 Prompt: Heavy Metal
Takes place a few hours after Showtime (7x11).
Buffy had been eerily gentle with him since the big rescue. Soft hands tending to his wounds. Eyes softer still, glinting with a kind of quiet delight he found himself mesmerised by.
Then there was the state of the basement. The heavy metal chains were gone, replaced by a small bed. His clothes and books were neatly arranged in a makeshift dresser.
There was blood in his belly and butterflies in his heart.
"Is this real?" He wondered aloud, voice shaky with disbelief.
Her warm hand slipped into his in response, nearly making him weep with relief.
"Welcome home, Spike."
I always imagined getting the basement ready for him kinda was Buffy's way of dealing with his absence all this time, and even if they added the chains back later, I feel like she wouldn't have wanted them there for the first night.
Thanks for reading!