Soothing the Savage Beast (Spike)

[vi]

Violet Fitzpatrick was no Fool.

Perceptive, overly emotional, but far from a Fool. So with her arms around his neck, Vi simply gazed off to the right and tried not to feel her heart plummeting into the ground to grind into a fine powder. She had saw it. Clear as day in his eyes was absolute and utter fear that she would make a move on him, kiss him or come on to him. It's why she went with friendly, it was the whole reason behind what she had been saying before that the pair of them only seemed to have caught the self-deprecating side of. Spike had, without meaning to most likely, done exactly what she expected him to. Be horrified at the thought of her possibly liking or wanting him. And so, when she hugged him, Vi made sure to push any thought she could have ever in a million years had about him seeing her as a woman, Let alone a woman he might see as something desirable out of her mind completely. She tried to make sure her body language didn't show a thing, as she tried to rationalize why his dismissal upset her. It wasn't as though she had a torch for the blond, if anything it was very much how she felt about Ashley back home. He was a gorgeous blond too, another self-loathing bad ass who looked at her like some older family member. Maybe that's where the pain came in, and the finality of it had brows knit in a pained line.

When he pulled her forward, hands on her wrists to open up to her; Vi could do nothing but listen. It was a confidence, of that she was positive on. But it didn't mean that anything she had rationalized through wasn't true, if anything it proved it all the more. So she nodded when he asked her to keep her mouth shut about the confidence, grateful for it in the first place. She would never dream of using his faith in her against him, and that word stung when her mind supplied it. Giving him a watered down half-smile, she nodded once before slipping from his grasp gently. She headed over to the kettle, filling it with water and setting about to make tea for the pair of them. Maybe they needed it after all, and thanks to her Bio-Mom she actually knew how to prepare a proper English cup, right down to the extra bit for the pot. As she mechanically went through the motions of making tea, her vision went soft. Honesty for honesty, after all.

"Not so long ago, there was a tiny slip of a thing born to a ridiculous pair of people. Blu and Daisy never wanted to be parents, so they weren't really. They weren't cruel, just careless and distant. Too in tune with 'Mother Luna's Freedom' living in their baby than actually being there for her. So they let her do things like grow up alone. Kept from the world, taught at home without anyone in the world save them. Letting their daughter, their plain hiccup of a thing out to play at night by herself was common place. The tiny little hamlet was safe; protected by an Outlaw biker club and simple country policemen. Everyone loved and trusted the bikers, counted on their peace with the law to protect them. It was well, charming. Until one night, the unseen girl heard motorcycles coming… and went to wave at the boys she was told were Good Guys. But these weren't good guys, they were demons called the Hellions. But one of the Banshees found her, saved her. And she fell in love with him.

"He was the middle child of the President's sons, and not one of them saw her as anything other than a little girl. It didn't matter that she was fifteen, that she was the same age as the oldest's Old Lady. She was… nothing. To any of them. They ignored her, unless she was there to pick up their pieces. And even then, she was just their little hiccup friend. And then a man came to help her, told her she was special. That one day she would maybe be Chosen, only to find him butchered. And being shipped off to a place away from her hometown to be scared everyday in a land of Sun. But there, she once more faded into the background as beautiful and powerful women shone. Real Chosen. Real Special. Real… Like the girls back home. Girls who mattered while she merely watched. The tiny little shadow. The mousey little nothing. None of them knew her real age, all they saw was someone weak and small. And then, then she became Something Special. In a sea of other more important Special.

"So she settled once more into being in the background, because where else did she fit? She so desperately wanted to be more, be something to someone. But all anyone saw was a little girl. Even though she was nineteen. A nineteen year old who had never been seen. Never been kissed. Never been That Girl. So she had to become okay with being nothing but The Hiccup. The Friend. The Little Sister. Because at least then, she could have a bit of the glow on the edges of the spotlight. Knowing the kind of person everyone believed she should have, or was worthy of. Not understanding why just once the Girl in the Shadows could have some Hero know she existed."

She hoped he would understand, as she snatched the boiling water off the stove. It wasn't self-hatred. It wasn't even self-doubt. It was honest to God truth. And maybe, just maybe if he knew the whole story he would see why it always hurt. Routing around in his cabinets, she tried to find tea cups past the gleam of tears in her eyes. Vi knew he was just going to get more uncomfortable, more guilty. She knew, whether or not they were actually over Spike would want to talk to Faith. And she was pretty certain she could guess where it would end up, knowing the blond's track record from rumor alone. Clearing her throat, still looking for what she needed, she nodded towards her leather bag without turning around.

"I thought we could hang out. I brought my hard drive and Call of Duty 4."

Smiles everyone, show must go on…

Pass a Note: Story for a story.
Next in Initiative: Spike
Listen Check: I Want to Hold Your Hand covered by Chris Colfer (originally The Beatles, obviously)
Equipped Items: Outfit and Vi's Tattoo (Manipulated by me)
Credit: Jax

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[williamspikepratt]

When the young Slayer merely nodded and pulled away from him, Spike somehow got the feeling that he hadn’t helped her at all. Bugger it. Spike should have stuck to what he was good at—sarcastic humor and drinking copious amounts of liquor. His eyes trailed after her as she began to prepare some tea, though it was strange that she seemed to be making a double pot, considering that Spike didn’t really drink tea anymore. No matter how long it steeped, it was just too delicate to have any effect in his ashen mouth. So why did he bother to have a kettle? Well, he was British. It was just an innate need for him to have a teapot. But he just stared at her back, until to his surprise, the ginger Slayer began talking.

It really wasn’t the story that Spike expected. He thought it would be more Mean Girls and less The Wild One, but it put the pieces of the puzzle together well enough. Unrequited love. Feeling second place. Well, Spike could understand those things. He lived things like that right now. But what could he do to placate her? If he denied what she said, that of course she was just as special as anyone else, it would come off as insincere. If Spike took action, with an amorous edge or otherwise, it would stink with pity and denigration. But he listened to every word, let them mull around in his head. She’d never been touched. A pure and virginal Slayer. The monster in his head found it kind of amusing for some reason, but the soul burning in him just felt compassion for her—from the time that no one saw William. Not that the girl needed to go out and have a man... or a woman, Spike supposed… but it was always crushing to have no one knew you existed as a lovable creature. He knew that feeling all too well. And it made him want to do something for the ginger, but there was no happy ending choice here. There was only something that could begin to mend the fissure Spike had put in their fledgling friendship.

There was one other thing she said that bothered him. The fact that she said she had to become okay with being The Hiccup when it was so evident she was not sparked something in Spike that he couldn’t truly reconcile with. She didn’t know how to change it, Spike guessed, but it sounded as if she had just given up. Given up at nineteen, which Spike found dreadful, actually. Though he would never tell her this, William had about a decade more of rejection on her even when he was human, and yet even William had still tried. But frustration pooled through the vampire, knowing he couldn’t reprimand her for her behavior. And the more he thought on it, the more he wished Faith was still here. Her blunt older-sister advice would probably be much more accepted and effective than Spike’s mumblings. His fingers drummed against the metal of the washer as he pondered if he and the dark-haired Slayer were ever going to speak again.

His silence continued as the ginger finished her story, leaving just the buzz in one of the kitchen lights and Vi fussing with the cupboards as the only sounds for a good moment or two. Finally, the young Slayer spoke up again, trying to put her strongest foot forward by offering a much more neutral activity. He shambled his way over to the duffel bag when directed by the slight nod of her head. He hoped his Xbox was working despite all the times he had slammed it off in frustration, but he took up the leather bag prepared to head out to the parlor. He gave a little cluck of his tongue before commenting, ”Yeah. I’ll set it up. Modern Warfare and Earl Grey sounds brilliant.”

But even with Vi setting the task before him and knowing what the girl probably wanted him to think everything was fine, Spike found himself not able to leave just yet. There was something still frail about the squishy Slayer right then, and the vampire couldn’t help but say something, though he was sure the conclusion would be the same in the end, ”Vi. You don’t have to pretend.” He thought he had more to add to that, but his voice had quit on him, it seemed. There probably should have been a second part to that which entailed that she didn’t have to feel bad, that he wasn’t going to be bothered (too much, at least) and a number of other statements that could have been paired with that. But it wasn’t to be, and Spike only managed to scrape together one last thing before retreating to the parlor, ”Just… let me know what I can do.”

+++

TAGS: Violet
WORD COUNT: 817
NOTES: Spike just doesn't know what to do with this squishy Slayer...

[vi]

When it was clear that Spike most likely didn't want her to sit quiet in her own cocoon of denial, Vi let go of the 'Ignore it and we'll move on' façade that had kept her feelings protected in the past. For a moment, her shoulders sagged an inch as she cursed herself for not being able to hide what she felt completely. All these raggedy messy edges on her sleeve did nothing but cause problems; Problems she quite frankly had neither the time or friends close enough to help. So she let herself go about doing what she always did. Taking care of everyone else and fussing always kept her together when she was about to split at the seams.

As the tea steeped, Vi dipped into the fridge to pull out some blood without so much as a wince. Crinkling her brow in thought (and a touch of 'Ewww… Blood' from the Veggie side of her brain), Vi popped up in realization before grabbing the closest thing he had to a 'sauce pan' and a mug; filling the first with hot water from the tap and the second with a couple tablespoons of equal parts blood and sugar. Heating the strange combination up like one would heat a bottle for a child, Please for the love of all that is good and Holy, Goddess do not let him know that's what tactic I'm using… as he clucked his tongue and agreed to her plan. Quickly setting soap to the 'blood bottle cup thing', Vi nodded once in silent affirmation.

Preparing the tea for the pair of them was simple, if a touch odd-jobbed. But it seemed cruel to have something he couldn't enjoy, and the ingenious girl was trying to make up for being a right and proper jerk. Heading over to him with the drinks, she softly spoke up without gazing up from the floor to keep from tripping over herself. "I thought the blood might help you taste it better. And from what I remember Clem said animal blood's supposed to be really bitter and since it's going in tea I figured I could cut it with sugar…" The murmur trailed off as he mentioned she didn't need to pretend. Looking up at him, brows furrowed, Vi had no clue what to do or say. This had become a complete disaster; and while she wanted to simply burst into tears and flee into the night never to bother trying again, her damnable pride kept her still. And when he disappeared into the parlor, Vi felt her stomach roll in absolute defeat.

Damnit all… this was exactly why I never said something back home.

Coming up behind him quietly, Vi simply schooled her face into simple if lost lines. She wanted to tell him that she had no clue what to do. She wanted to beg him not to let someone manipulate him into getting their way, because he was so very much like her and he was primed for further emotional machinations. Instead, the words that passed her lips surprised even her, though she doubted she wanted to know the real answer. "Why…? Why did you look at me like that? Was it only for Faith to get jealous?" Placing their drinks down onto the small table between the two couches, she took a slow even breath to calm her thunderous and aching heartbeat. She was still doing this wrong, but she had no idea how to even salvage what 'friendship' she thought they had and really wanted. And if they kept up this awkward crap all that would happen was she would get more pitied looks. And that was the last thing she could stomach. Not anymore. Not from another Friend. Another Male Friend she wasn't even sure she could keep her sanity when it came to having. Vi was drowning in Male Friends, and all it seemed to do was make her feel worse about herself.

"Fuck it." She rather abruptly cursed, face determined and slightly darker over the eyes and furrowed brow. In a quiet 'huff' of air, Vi propped herself up onto the black couch, resting mostly on her left hip. Pulling her hair up and over her left shoulder, Vi picked up the weight of her skirt in two hands grasped at either side of the rather salacious slit. Without too much coy shyness, because she didn't really want to even think about being the Meek Little Nobody, Vi carefully hefted the folds of her skirt into each hand. Gathering the length of the seam until she felt she could keep her modesty mostly intact. Leaning back onto the cushion, she fanned her skirt out of the way to show off the entirety of her ink; though she did have to maneuver both skirt and boy short panties out of the way. There resting on the swell of her hip and the top of her thigh was her pride and joy, though she wasn't sure how she felt about it at the moment.

"I've had it since I was sixteen. It's for The Freeway Banshees and their daughter club The Restless Dead. So I got something for both of them. I'm no one's Old Lady, never was. But i'm Family." It was certainly an ice breaker, and she hoped it would at least get him to knock off the Pity Party. She didn't need another one… even if it was from someone she genuinely cared about. "There. Consider my Ink Shown."

Pass a Note: o.O I… don't even know anymore. Vi's doing sh*t...
Next in Initiative: Spike
Listen Check: Crusade by Voltaire
Equipped Items: Outfit and Vi's Tattoo (Manipulated by me)
Credit: Jax

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[williamspikepratt]

Blood tea. Well, that was something Spike had never truly thought of before, but he had certainly mixed food with blood before. And since blood and tea were both best hot, in the Brit’s opinion, the two paired together would probably be all well and good. So he let the little red-head Slayer experiment in this new type of ‘red’ tea, though once she attempted to deliver it to him, Spike couldn’t have the nerve to look her in the eye and instead went to set up his console. Bloody hell, women were so difficult. If Vi was a man, Spike would have told her to get over herself (or in that case, himself) long ago and poured much stronger drinks than tea. But, with a highly emotional girl, it was safer to retreat and complete the mission—wiring the Xbox up.

He still heard Vi’s soft footsteps coming long before she even entered the parlor, but he was still focusing on the task at hand, crouched over the snake pit of wires from the classic NES, the 64, the 360 and the regular Xbox. And he didn’t turn back to her as she asked him why he had said what he did. His body straightened a bit, his shoulders shifting, but Spike still stared down at the tangled mess in front of him and his fingers picked through the wires, attempting to find the correct ones. Ignoring the awkward pause in the conversation, the blond didn’t reply until he was sure he was properly setting up the right gaming system, ”No. She was already jealous. It was more like… couldn’t see an option where everybody won, so I made sure everybody lost. It was punishment. For all of us. I didn’t mean to… dredge up the past.”

”I thought you both might have come for the same reason. People generally don’t seek me out to have conversations. You know, beyond ‘Take off your trousers.’” The bitter tone that covered Spike’s voice made it clear that even though he was attempting to put a touch of humor in there, the situation itself wasn’t too funny to him at all. It wasn’t that he really objected to a relationship built solely off of sex, but he did want to be respected and to not be jerked around anymore. Despite his apathy requesting that he shut it, he still brimmed with quips, adding with a little sniff, ”And here I thought that complaint exclusively belonged to the fairer sex.”

Finally, the blond vampire had completed all the steps and collected two wireless controllers in one hand. The tea actually smelled rather good, even from where he was standing, so he moved to take a taste. He found it to be rather good, though it tasted like sweet blood more than anything else to the Vampire. He was waiting for the start screen to boot up when Vi suddenly cursed and flopped onto one of the couches. It was all he could do to sip a bit more on his blood tea while the girl lifted up her skirt and showed off her tat. Spike didn’t really feel embarrassed by this, considering he was rather comfortable with bare flesh, but he wondered if Vi, despite her outward aggression, was feeling a bit bashful.

”It’s gorgeous.” The blond said softly and sincerely. Beautiful art was beautiful art, whether it was on a page or in sound or put on skin. And every member of the Whirlwind seemed to have a penchant and obsession with Beauty, so perhaps it was some kind of hereditary thing, or what had drawn the disparate people of their clan together in the first place. And the story behind Vi’s ink was… strangely honorable. It spoke of loyalty and drive and things that Spike could certainly respect. It made the tattoo just that much more stunning.

Spike set down the tea cup down, one last sigh passing his lips, ”I know you probably have more blokes like me in your life than you can stand…” At least that’s what it sounded like from the stories she had told, but Spike knew he wouldn’t get past this night unless he set something straight with the girl. He had had enough of feeling guilt and having others feel guilt over what they had done to him, ”But I don’t have family. I have… people who drift in and out. So, if it hurts too much, I’m not going to ask you to do it, but… you seem awfully good at taking care of people. And I could take care of you a bit. And, as far as I know, that’s what family does.” Spike let the questions connected to his words remain unasked. It seemed a bit harsh to go out and say it, considering what they had just learned about each other. But Spike noted that he felt more trusting of Vi than quite a few other people in his life right now, and it seemed that she returned that trust.

”Right. So,” Spike changed his demeanor with a flip of a switch, letting himself fall onto the couch next to Vi, holding one controller out for the ginger Slayer while the other laid in his lap. He gave a side glance over to her, his eyes a bit brighter and half a grin on his face, ”Why don’t we shoot some people and blow some shit up?”

+++

TAGS: Violet
WORD COUNT: 907
NOTES: Oh, Vi. You saucy thing :3

[vi]

"Oh."

It was all she could say to Spike's reasoning behind why he did what he did. So everybody lost… The reasoning cut to the quick, deeper than she expected. And Vi try as she may felt that last little hope die with a shrug and a slow nod. There was her place, and she would be okay with it then. Better that than something significantly mow painful. And then his next words made her brow wrinkle, and she sat up with a grumpy look on her face. He really thought he wasn't worth anything more than a quickie, and Vi knew Faith wasn't the kind of person to treat him the way he deserved. And he was going to keep circling the drain if he fell for the same song and dance every single time. It twisted her stomach into knots and made her want to scream. But no matter what she said, it was as if the blond had made up his mind already. Sure, tonight they might be over; but in a couple days, the pair of them would be back to whatever they were doing together as if it never really happened. It was what Ash and Jackie did, her Not-So-Parents did, occasionally what Case and Inara did when Mercury was in retrograde and the planets aligned wrong. But it still always went down. It was futile to fight it, and Vi didn't know if she should even care or let it all burn around her. All she knew was nothing was ever going to be the same. Between her and Spike, her and Faith… any of it. And that sucked.

When he honestly complimented her tattoo, Vi smiled gently. "Thank you." She murmured softly, matching his tone while tracing the bottom edge distractedly. "I designed it myself, after my brothers' cuts." Something about him liking her work made her perk slightly, mood taking a slight upturn despite everything going to hell in a hand basket. It was the same fluff of pride she felt anytime someone commented about her ink, but it seemed more for him. Spike's words had a thread of fellow artist appreciation, and Vi gave him a grateful crooked smile in response. And when he started in on her having 'a lot of blokes like him', Vi knew exactly where the conversation was going. Though while expecting a modified 'just friends' speech was one thing, this Brother request without requesting was something different. And at the end of it all, what other place did she have? Besides, being kin to such a bad ass was her bread and butter; and she really loved the idea of adding the blond to her list of Big Bros.


Sighing softly, she gave Spike a hard look. Embodying Gemma to a 'T', she felt something click in her mind. "Look. Take this as you may, alright? But it's the Goddess honest truth. So be good and listen to me, okay? You're a smart, kind-hearted, gorgeous bad ass who deserves someone phenomenal. The kind of girl who will be proud to be tucked under your arm when you go about town, kicking ass or snuggled up close in a movie. Not just when the lights go out or when no one's watching. You deserve someone with a good heart to match yours, but who isn't afraid of getting her hands dirty. And most of all, you deserve someone who will never make you feel less than what you are. You're a Good Man, Spike. I'm glad your my friend, but I'm grateful your my brother. Promise me you won't settle on what's nearby and hold out for that perfect person for you instead? Please? For me? Because I don't want to see you go through what you did back at the house, with Buffy… I mean. I watched you pine after an amazing woman, hell I would have too. I can't watch you do that with someone who isn't worth it. True Love is out there, and if I need to believe in it than you sure as hell better let yourself have it!"

Crossing her arms under her breasts, Vi fixed him with that incensed Resolve Face before plucking the control from his hands with a soft 'humph'. Cuddling close to him, like the little sister she for once wasn't too bitter about being, Vi toed off her sandals before tucking her feet beneath her. He felt cold, and she was glad at the very least her ambient body temperature could help him. She was told she usually ran hot anyways, maybe it was a sign they were destined to be siblings after all? Laying her head against his shoulder, Vi let her eyes loose focus while muscle memory booted up the game and selected everything required of her without hesitation or lag. That made four. Four amazing men she loved in four incredibly different ways, all of them her idiot brothers. Doing similar idiot things. Vi, Trick, Squishy… she wouldn't have it any other way.

Pass a Note: You know it. LOL
Next in Initiative: Spike
Listen Check: Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift
Equipped Items: Outfit and Vi's Tattoo (Manipulated by me)
Credit: Jax

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[ADMIN ASHLEY]