Comics!Fic: Propositions
Nov. 11th, 2011 10:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gryfndor_godessTitle: Propositions
Rating: G
Summary: At the end of Severin's arc (i.e., this is not directly post 9.3 but takes place sometime later in the season), Buffy ponders her track record with men and takes matters into her own hands. 900 words.
A/N: I figured out something to write in reaction to issue #3 after all! Comments on my Thinky Thoughts post inspired me, and I ended up frantically writing this at 1:00 AM and then tidying it up this morning. :)
“So,” said Spike, looking up from Severin’s charred corpse, which lay smoking on the ground between them. “Can I say ‘I told you so’ or do you need a minute to process?”
“Shut up,” said Buffy, automatically. She couldn’t manage much venom, though. It was just too-
God, how had she managed to fall for this kind of act again?
What was wrong with her?
Angel, Spike, Twilight, Severin- even Parker had been a jerk. Did she send out pheromones to demons and creeps? Was Riley some sort of lucky fluke, and she was otherwise only attracted to smooth-talking villains?
Was there any saving grace to her love life?
“Ahh, s’all right,” said Spike, and she was startled into looking at him.
Her tummy gave a funny wobble.
Spike shrugged, wearing a lopsided, only-slightly-bitter smile. “He was rich, human, and a slayer, of sorts. Of course you liked him.”
Buffy didn’t know what to say.
Spike made an exaggerated face, one clearly meant to amuse. “Can’t say much for his appearance, though. Weedy-looking. Beanpole skinny. Not deformedly tall, so not really your type-”
“He had blue eyes,” said Buffy. “I like blue eyes.”
Spike blinked, which showed off his own baby blues quite nicely. “Uh. Oh. Well.”
After a few seconds of silence, Buffy glanced at the corpse again.
“Wanna ditch this place, Slayer?” said Spike finally.
She nodded, and they walked out of the warehouse together and headed for home.
“I’m sorry,” said Buffy, after she’d had half a glass of wine.
Only half a glass; that was important. She needed a bit of liquid courage, but she didn’t need him thinking anything she said or did from here on out came straight from the bottle.
“I should have believed you.” The words felt acidic in her mouth, but they were necessary if she wanted to say anything else tonight.
Spike looked taken aback but pleased, which she took as a good sign. “Yeah. Well.” He shrugged one shoulder, and Buffy could tell he was trying to be nonchalant. “You wouldn’t be Buffy if you didn’t sleep with guys you shouldn’t.”
She tried not to let it show how much the response stung. It was probably true, after all. And the evidence in front of her proved there could be silver linings to that character flaw.
“No big deal,” said Spike hastily, as though he regretted his first reaction. “Thanks.”
It was a simpler acknowledgment than she had expected; she’d been preparing herself for endless gloating. In fact, he’d been astonishingly gracious in the hour since they’d left the warehouse- mostly avoiding the subject altogether instead of mocking her.
She wouldn’t have been as gracious if the positions were reversed, Buffy couldn’t keep from thinking. Snapshots of their degrading relationship the past few weeks rose inexorably to mind: of Spike telling her Severin was actually an evil demon named Siphon and her refusal to believe him; of calling him petty and jealous as he persisted with his theories; of sleeping with Severin (eurgh) and Spike demanding whether she was trying to end the world again; of punching him; of him fighting by her side anyway when she realized he’d been right all along.
Guilt rolled through her.
Buffy put her wine glass on the floor and slid it away from her. After picking up a celebratory pizza and beverages they’d ended up at Spike’s apartment. She was grateful for the invitation, as she was nowhere near ready to return to Severin’s, her refuge from the police for the past few weeks. They sprawled on the floor, since there was no table and only one armchair, which they weren’t up for sharing.
Yet.
As Buffy focused on what came next instead of on mistakes she couldn’t undo, she was surprised by the flicker of hope she felt. She wasn’t sure she deserved it, but it was invigorating.
She did her best to sound casual. “Can’t say I really regret my track record.”
Spike’s eyebrow shot upward. “Really,” he said disbelievingly.
Buffy shrugged. “You know, it’s like for every ten frogs you kiss, you get a prince. For every ten evil guys you get a…not so evil guy.”
“Are you talking about Soldier Boy?” said Spike warily. “’Cause I’ve got some things I can say on that account-”
“No. I’m saying, some evil guys are worth it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you talking about A-”
“No. Jeez. Will you let me finish?” Buffy took a deep breath and looked straight at him. “I’m saying, sometimes the evil guys stop being evil, and that makes the sleeping with them worth it. Cause you get something amazing out of it. See, for example, there’s this one evil guy I slept with whom I’d like to sleep with again. Cause now he’s formerly evil. Thought he was the Big Bad. Now he’s a Big Bad white hat.”
Spike blinked. He stared at her. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Buffy lifted one corner of her lips and raised an eyebrow.
Pointedly.
Spike blinked again, and she saw the flash of a smirk as he straightened. “Could this white hat take you out to dinner first?”
Butterflies spiraled in her stomach, and Buffy smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
Rating: G
Summary: At the end of Severin's arc (i.e., this is not directly post 9.3 but takes place sometime later in the season), Buffy ponders her track record with men and takes matters into her own hands. 900 words.
A/N: I figured out something to write in reaction to issue #3 after all! Comments on my Thinky Thoughts post inspired me, and I ended up frantically writing this at 1:00 AM and then tidying it up this morning. :)
“So,” said Spike, looking up from Severin’s charred corpse, which lay smoking on the ground between them. “Can I say ‘I told you so’ or do you need a minute to process?”
“Shut up,” said Buffy, automatically. She couldn’t manage much venom, though. It was just too-
God, how had she managed to fall for this kind of act again?
What was wrong with her?
Angel, Spike, Twilight, Severin- even Parker had been a jerk. Did she send out pheromones to demons and creeps? Was Riley some sort of lucky fluke, and she was otherwise only attracted to smooth-talking villains?
Was there any saving grace to her love life?
“Ahh, s’all right,” said Spike, and she was startled into looking at him.
Her tummy gave a funny wobble.
Spike shrugged, wearing a lopsided, only-slightly-bitter smile. “He was rich, human, and a slayer, of sorts. Of course you liked him.”
Buffy didn’t know what to say.
Spike made an exaggerated face, one clearly meant to amuse. “Can’t say much for his appearance, though. Weedy-looking. Beanpole skinny. Not deformedly tall, so not really your type-”
“He had blue eyes,” said Buffy. “I like blue eyes.”
Spike blinked, which showed off his own baby blues quite nicely. “Uh. Oh. Well.”
After a few seconds of silence, Buffy glanced at the corpse again.
“Wanna ditch this place, Slayer?” said Spike finally.
She nodded, and they walked out of the warehouse together and headed for home.
* * *
“I’m sorry,” said Buffy, after she’d had half a glass of wine.
Only half a glass; that was important. She needed a bit of liquid courage, but she didn’t need him thinking anything she said or did from here on out came straight from the bottle.
“I should have believed you.” The words felt acidic in her mouth, but they were necessary if she wanted to say anything else tonight.
Spike looked taken aback but pleased, which she took as a good sign. “Yeah. Well.” He shrugged one shoulder, and Buffy could tell he was trying to be nonchalant. “You wouldn’t be Buffy if you didn’t sleep with guys you shouldn’t.”
She tried not to let it show how much the response stung. It was probably true, after all. And the evidence in front of her proved there could be silver linings to that character flaw.
“No big deal,” said Spike hastily, as though he regretted his first reaction. “Thanks.”
It was a simpler acknowledgment than she had expected; she’d been preparing herself for endless gloating. In fact, he’d been astonishingly gracious in the hour since they’d left the warehouse- mostly avoiding the subject altogether instead of mocking her.
She wouldn’t have been as gracious if the positions were reversed, Buffy couldn’t keep from thinking. Snapshots of their degrading relationship the past few weeks rose inexorably to mind: of Spike telling her Severin was actually an evil demon named Siphon and her refusal to believe him; of calling him petty and jealous as he persisted with his theories; of sleeping with Severin (eurgh) and Spike demanding whether she was trying to end the world again; of punching him; of him fighting by her side anyway when she realized he’d been right all along.
Guilt rolled through her.
Buffy put her wine glass on the floor and slid it away from her. After picking up a celebratory pizza and beverages they’d ended up at Spike’s apartment. She was grateful for the invitation, as she was nowhere near ready to return to Severin’s, her refuge from the police for the past few weeks. They sprawled on the floor, since there was no table and only one armchair, which they weren’t up for sharing.
Yet.
As Buffy focused on what came next instead of on mistakes she couldn’t undo, she was surprised by the flicker of hope she felt. She wasn’t sure she deserved it, but it was invigorating.
She did her best to sound casual. “Can’t say I really regret my track record.”
Spike’s eyebrow shot upward. “Really,” he said disbelievingly.
Buffy shrugged. “You know, it’s like for every ten frogs you kiss, you get a prince. For every ten evil guys you get a…not so evil guy.”
“Are you talking about Soldier Boy?” said Spike warily. “’Cause I’ve got some things I can say on that account-”
“No. I’m saying, some evil guys are worth it.”
His eyes narrowed. “Are you talking about A-”
“No. Jeez. Will you let me finish?” Buffy took a deep breath and looked straight at him. “I’m saying, sometimes the evil guys stop being evil, and that makes the sleeping with them worth it. Cause you get something amazing out of it. See, for example, there’s this one evil guy I slept with whom I’d like to sleep with again. Cause now he’s formerly evil. Thought he was the Big Bad. Now he’s a Big Bad white hat.”
Spike blinked. He stared at her. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Buffy lifted one corner of her lips and raised an eyebrow.
Pointedly.
Spike blinked again, and she saw the flash of a smirk as he straightened. “Could this white hat take you out to dinner first?”
Butterflies spiraled in her stomach, and Buffy smiled. “Yeah. I’d like that.”
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Date: 2011-11-11 04:23 pm (UTC)