Work Text:
Travellers 2 - a stop to rest
by Lilithangel
http://www.livejournal.com/users/lilithbint
"Idiot," Spike said as he hauled Angel into the motel room, "I was handling it just fine, you didn't have to step in front of me."
Angel simply grunted and let Spike lower him onto the bed and strip off his shirt to expose the stake piercing his chest.
"Another couple of inches and I'd have been dusting you off my jacket," Spike said, tearing the shirt into strips. "Could still happen if I'm not careful so don't move," he added, grabbing hold of the stake.
Angel nodded and grabbed onto the sides of the bed. Spike pulled the stake free and shoved a wad of shirt into the wound. Angel hissed and his fingers went white with tension. Spike tossed the stake aside and then pulled the already bloody fabric aside to check the wound.
"Looks clean," he said. He folded a neater pad of cloth and placed it over the wound, expertly binding it up with the remainder. He then tore his own wrist open and pushed it to Angel's mouth. Angel tried to turn his head away but a growl from Spike stopped him. "Don't make me waste it," Spike said, "I can go hunt, you can't."
Angel closed his eyes as he drank and didn't see the pained, almost desperate look on Spike's face. When he stopped drinking Spike's face was back to its normal exasperated expression.
"I'm going for food, you should sleep," Spike said, wrapping the last strip of shirt around his wrist.
Angel looked at him and sat up carefully. He grabbed Spike by the arm and checked the blond over.
Spike rolled his eyes, "I'm fine, if you're planning a career as a mime you're doing well. Might cramp your style as a champion though. Yes you are still a champion you pillock," he added, knowing what Angel would have said. "Although I'm beginning to doubt my own sanity being the only doing any talking these days."
Angel shoved him almost playfully and then lay back down on the bed, demonstrating his agreement with Spike's plans. Spike sighed and left the room heading for the outskirts of town.
It had been such a long time since he'd had a real conversation with Angel he was beginning to think the trauma had struck the other vampire dumb. Or he really was crazy, Angel didn't exist and he was just wandering the country talking to thin air.
He planned to find a cow or something, get fed and then find a bar for some real human conversation and maybe a shag before some sleep.
An hour later he returned to the motel room, fed but only slightly watered and rather put out that he apparently doesn't know how to converse anymore without taking care of both sides of the conversation and also that he appears to need a shower since neither men nor women appreciate the blood caked look.
Angel appeared to be fast asleep on the bed. Spike knew better however but chose to ignore it in favour of a shower and some sleep of his own. If he can't have a drink and can't get a shag there isn't much else to do.
He returned to the bedroom drying off his hair. Angel sat up in the bed and watched before taking the towel off him and guiding him to the edge of the bed.
"We're going to need to get some replacement clothes," he said as Angel carefully towelled off his hair, "can't run around naked as well as everything else." Angel put the towel aside and pulled a comb through his unruly hair, taking care with the tangles that washing with soap caused.
Spike fought the urge to lean back into Angel's touch, not certain what Angel was meaning with his actions. It felt really good to have Angel touch him, almost as good as hearing the other vampire's voice if he was honest. They didn't touch that often, except to fix injuries or when they shared an exhausted sleep. Angel would always pull away when they woke entangled, not with disgust as Spike expected but with a firmness of resolve that Spike decided had to do with Angel's self imposed isolation rather than any slight on his own attractiveness.
Spike had given up trying to beat it out of Angel even if he couldn't stop talking to his silent shadow. He still had no idea why Angel had taken up the role of his protector, or where they would end up. Somewhere along the line he had simply accepted it and started to enjoy the journey.
Angel pulled him down and covered them both with the bed sheet. For the first time Angel didn't turn away from Spike, instead he wrapped his arms around the smaller form and buried his nose into Spike's hair. Spike stiffened in shock and then slowly relaxed.
He wasn't sure what had triggered Angel's behaviour but it was nice to be held even if Angel's petting of his arm made him feel a bit like a puppy, or a small child...
Spike stiffened again. "Not your son okay, so don't get any ideas," he growled, trying to pull away.
"Family," Angel growled back, "definitely not my son. Just shut up and relax."
It was more words than Angel had said to him in a week and Spike had to decide whether that was worth not being annoyed for.
"Just so long as we're clear," Spike said, "cause if I feel anything prodding me in the back I don't want you seeing me as your kid."
"Don't be stupid." Angel tightened his grip on Spike and now Spike let him. It was a start at least, maybe soon they would have a real conversation.
Neither slept but it was more restful than it had been in a long time.
END