Work Text:
Angel thought that he had made the right choice when they took over Wolfram and Hart. The chance to do some real good on a much larger scale than they were able to with Angel Investigations. A fresh start for every-one concerned. But lately, nothing had been going right. Everything seemed like an up-hill battle, with them all getting knocked back down the hill at every other step.
Recently his team had all been at each others throats. The normal, everyday differences of oppinion had even degenerated several times into full out screaming matches. This last week had been the worst. The only thing that had stopped the fights from becoming physical, had been someone stepping between the combatants. Three times having to go so far as to snag a flying fist before it could connect with the others face. A shake of a head and a quiet word or two had the two adversaries storming off in opposite directions.
It had been the week from hell. Day after night after day of mishap to disaster to catastrophy without deviation. One contiuous stream of wretchedness. The sort of week that you pray for a time machine, just to go back to the beginning of the week in the hopes that someone will knock you out before it starts. Anything to escape the hellish misery!
Angel trudged up from the lab, thanking...whoever... that Friday was over and everyone had finally gone home. Grateful for the empty silence, Angel finally allowed himself to think back over the altercations between himself and his crew the past few days. Wondering how it was that they had all made it through without someon getting beat bloody. It was with shock that Angel realised just who had prevented the outbreaks from escalating too far and turning to actual violence. Spike. It had been Spike who had stopped Gunn from puncing Angel out earlier in the week. It had been Spike who had caught Freds' tiny fist yesterday, just in time to save Wesley from a broken nose.
And it had been Spike earlier this evening who had grabbed Angels' wrist. Halting his fist bare inches from Spikes' own face as Spike slowly shook his head and quietly said " No." Angel recalled that his response had been to jerk his hand away. He had then moved right up into Spikes' face, and with uncharacteristic profanity, hissed at him to get the fuck out of his office because he was sick to death of the sight and fucking stink of him.
Angel sighed as he re-played Spikes' no-quite-hidden flinch. Spike had merely nodded once, turned and left without another word. Angel had kicked everyone out of his office, then spent a good fifteen minuits pacing and ranting about ungrateful, disrespectful, insolent Childer, and why the hell had he bothered to turn that sniveling little mamas boy and GOD how peaceful would his unlife be without Spike in it?! Angel then threw himself into his chair and spent another fifteen minites staring at his ceiling before realising that one of the reasons for his hidious mood was the fact that he hadn't fed for almost three days. Angel promptly consumed half the stock in his mini-fridge, studiously ignored the voice in the back of his head telling him that he had gone too far and may have hurt his Childes' feelings, and resumed enduring the remainder of the work day.
Exausted, Angel ran a weary hand over his face and back over his hair. For once utterly uncaring of any dissaray. Angel shuffled up the corridor towards his office and his private elevator. As he approached the door he muzzily reflected that a full days sleep would do wonders for everyones disposition, as no-one had had time for more than sporadic naps since the Week from Hell had began. Sighing, Angel hoped that when everyone re-grouped for saturday evenings usual weekly de-briefing, they would all be in better frames of mind. There was sure to be alot of apologies made all around. None the least of which was the one Angel himself owed Spike. Sighing again as he re-called the brief flash of hurt in Spikes' eyes before he turned away, Angel opened the door to his office. Stepping in, Angel closed the door behind himself, turned towards his elevator, then froze. Sensing a presence in the pitch black room, Angel let his face change, using his demon vision to pierce the thick darkness.
Turning at an almost imperceptable sound, Angel paced slowly towards the darkest corner. Making out a form on one of the longer sofas, Angel crept silently closer. Stopping a few feet away, Angel stared down at the sleeping form of Spike. Curled bare-foot under Angels' leather coat, Spikes' own duster was folded under his head for a pillow. Angel smiled faintly as he noted that Spike still breathed almost silently in his sleep. As the breaths Spike took were too quiet to be heard across the room, Angel wondered what it was that had caught his attention.
Crouching down, Angel reached out to touch an escaped curl resting on Spikes' forehead, only to pull back abruptly as Spike took a hitching breath that shuddered out on a sigh. Frowning, Angel cocked his head and studied Spikes' pale face closer. Feeling a sense of unease, Angel took a deep breath, inhaling in through both mouth and nose in order to both smell and taste the air.The fading scent of anger, self-loathing and abject misery almost covered the sharp tang of salt. The combination hit Angel like a kick to the chest. Spike gave another hitching sight, buried further into his duster with a sniff the fell still again.
Angel cursed his temper silently when he finally recognised the sound for what it was. Suddenly struck with his own sense of self-loathing, Angel realised that he had acomplished something that not even his bastard of a Demon had managed.
"Oh Spike."
Angel pinched the bridge of his nose as his eyes stung. Crouched in his own office, Angel listened to the quiet sniffeling of someone who had cried themselves to sleep.
Grabbing an empty duffle bag from the weapons cabinet, Angel carefuly eased Spikes' head off of his duster. Stuffing both duster and boots into the bag, Angel slung it over his shoulder before bending back over Spike. Moving slowly so as not to wake the younger Vampire, Angel slid his arms under Spike at his shoulders and knees. Lifting Spike was easier than it should have been. Angel sighed as he realised the extent to which he had ignored Spike. There was no excuse really. None at all that he could give to justify not making sure that Spike was taken care of. Souls or no, as Spikes' Sire it was Angels' responsibility to keep an eye to his health and welfare. The boy was way too thin for even his small frame. The ribs Angel could feel against his chest were proof positive that Spike hadn't been feeding properly for quite sometime. One more for Angel to add to the seemingly endless tally of black marks on his soul.
Stepping into the elevator, Angel pushed the button for his appartment. Spike sniffled again, turning into Angels' neck away from the light. Angel angled his shoulders to allow a shadow to fall over Spikes' face. When the doors opened, Angel took Spike through to his own bedrrom. The penthouse housed several rooms, but Angel knew Spike would sleep better surrounded by a familiar scent.
Using a foot to hook aside the blankets, Angel set Spike down. After a brief debate of comfort verses the ass-chewing Spikes' pride would demand he give Angel were Angel to remove Spikes' clothes, Angel decided to err on the side of caution. Un-doing the top button for a little more ease of movement, Angel left the rest alone. After pulling a sheet over Spike, Angel went through to the bathroom to shower away the stress and stench of a day that had lasted far too long. Five minites later, Angel briskly toweled dry then quickly scrubbed another over his head. Padding silently back to his bed, Angel climbed in beside Spike and pulled the covers over them both.
As exausted as he was, Angel found that sleep was a long time in coming. Lying on his back, Angel folded his arms behind his head and stared up into the darkness. Contemplating just how many ways the evening could go once Spike awoke. Halfway though the 'Angel Wakes Up As A Big Pile Of Dust' senario, Angel was startled out of his musing by something brushing his side. Turning his head, Angel was thrown back over a hundred years in to a memory.
Whenever Angelus would retire after William was already asleep, it wouldn't be long before the young fledge was shifting about, searching for his Sire. Wanting to be close to Angelus, even in the depths of slumber.
Smiling sadly in rememberance of simpler times, Angel watched as Spike made the same motions. Spike frowned faintly and whined low in the back of his throat as his hand moved in an erratic pattern across the space between them. Coming into contact with Angels' side again, the questing fingers flexed then crept over Angels' ribcage. Angel twitched and laughed quietly when blunt nails scraped over a ticklish spot.
"Sire."
Angel glanced up with a crooked half grin into sleepy blue eyes. Seeing a twinkle of mischief, Angel jumped and chuckled again as Spike scritched lightly over the same place again.
"Y're pretty when you laugh."
"And you're cute when you're asleep." Angel murmered, falling surprisingly easily into old, famliar, silly banter with a childe who wasn't really awake.
" 'M not either." The sweet little smile droped into a pout " 'Nd 'm not sleepin' "
"Hush Boy. Sire knows best, and I say you are." Angel refrained from mentioning the pout. Knowing from past experience that being called adorable would make his prickly Childe grumpy enough to awaken. "Why aren't you *sleepin'*?
Spikes' bottom lip pushed out further as Angel mimicked his quasi petulant tone. Exaustion-bruised lids slowly closed and lifted again as Spike sighed then replied mournfully " Y're too far 'way."
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the sad little tone, Angel moved an arm out from under his head and stretched it out over the pillows. "Come here then."
Spike shifted across the chasm of a whole two feet separating them. Wrapping his arm over Angels' chest, Spike rubbed his face into the offered shoulder then fell still. "Not cute." Spike muttered
"Shh." Angel whispered, still a little in awe of how easy this same old oft repeated argument was flowing. Angel closed his arms around the slender body pressed against his from head to toe. " You're not awake Little One, so shush and go back to sleep."
" 'Kay." Spike went boneless and began breathing again.
Thinking that was the end of it, Angel closed his eyes. Nearly asleep himself, Angel almost didn't hear the last near-silent utterance.
"Love you 'ngelusss..."
Blinking furiously to ease the sudden burn behind his eyes, Angel rolled towards Spike and curled tightly around him. "Love you too Will." Angel breathed into an ear that was no-longer concious to hear him. "I love you too."
Making a mental note to tell Spike that very same thing the first chance he had, Angel inhaled deeply and closed his eyes again. Surrounded by the forever missed scent of his family, Angel followed Spike into much needed slumber.
The End
(I think? Might be a sequal, not sure yet.)
Jan 31 2011