Ficlet ~ Burn Marks

[clawofcat]

Title: Burn Marks
Author: ClawofCat
Timing: Season 6, Post-Wrecked
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Buffy/Spike
Word Count: 705
Warnings: Violent sex
Summary: A sequel to The Cross. Buffy takes out her tumultuous emotions on Spike with surprising results.

A/N: Written as a follow-up ficlet to my entry for 

Comments

[dragonflylady77]

Hmmm...
Not sure Spike enjoyed the cross all that much, except for the part that it was what Buffy wanted.

[clawofcat]

Nah, he didn't enjoy it. I actually really wasn't intending to write anything more of this, but while I was working on another ficlet this continuation just grabbed me by the (figurative) balls and muscled its way onto the page. I'm not even sure this is what I had in mind when I was thinking about their after-encounter the other night. This was what came out, regardless.

Writing is weird. Sometimes it's very much what you intend and other times you just don't know where it comes from, like possession. I will admit, when you just get swept along by an idea and don't have to think about it too much, it's a lot easier!

[dragonflylady77]

You know, the more I talk with authors, the more I get that this writing thing just takes you where it wants to go.

I only ever wrote 1215 words and then it stopped. Maybe one day I'll finish that fic, if you can call it that..

In the meantime, I just read lots and review lots too. ^_^

[snowpuppies]

and other times you just don't know where it comes from, like possession.

I adore it when that happens. Seriously.

I would almost say that I do my best work then, but there are a few pieces that's I've labored over for weeks and months that are equally as good, so maybe it's just more thrilling.

Dunno, exactly, but it's definitely the high that keeps me coming back.

[hello_spikey]

great googly moogly how I love the Spuffy darkness! And mmmmm you deliver just right. Love the line about helping her breathe.

*pats the co-dependent vampire*
mmmm sexy.

[clawofcat]

*cackles with glee* Suffer! Suffer! Glad I could get you there with this one. It's darker than I usually go, but circumstances called for it. Buffy's bad emotional state = Buffy's kinktastic, anger-fueled fuck fest.

Spike really is rather misguided. He has no idea how to help, so he just grasps at straws. Poor boy means well though.

[hello_spikey]

He really does.

and FYI? That icon is OMG squee awesome of the spuffy darkness! *covets* :D

[clawofcat]

It's totally snagable. Credit goes to alwaysjbj.

[ellan_vannin]

Their wild dancing has him screaming, too, as his skin singes, the iron-hot sting of the cross on her neck sending smoke signals up from his chest like an S.O.S.
I love that visual, I think it defines the entire encounter.

When she frames them with her teed and crossed fingers, her eyelids open and close like a camera shutter. It’s another memory.
And that too! It's very much a reminder that these moments are brief in the grand scheme of their relationship.

Violent and sad, and so very hot!

[clawofcat]

I love that visual, I think it defines the entire encounter.
Me, too. I love going wild with the figurative language and symbolism and this really gets to the heart of it. She's wearing the cross because she wants to make Spike see what she's going through. It's a cry for help, as twisted as it is. And it's a cry she only lets Spike hear (and feel).

Glad you liked it. It's been awhile since I got to write a serious sex scene. My fave! *licks lips*

[kudagirl]

Buffy is in a very dark place. Spike doesn't seem to be pushing her there. He seems to want to help her heal, but she is determined to burn her pain out of her system. She keeps upping the stakes to see how much she can survive. Is she searching for a breaking point?

[clawofcat]

Is she searching for a breaking point?
I'm not really sure. Except for the couple of sex scenes we get throughout Season 6, it's hard to tell if Spike and she were engaging in high risk sexual practices. When I first was thinking about this ficlet, I thought that Buffy might try and goad Spike into rollplaying with her, pretending to be as viscous as he used to be. But here the sense that I get is that Buffy mentally fabricates a lot of her obstacles and pain and systematically tears herself down. It's a hell of her own making. She tells Tara "not to forgive her" and this is Buffy's way of punishing herself for her own perceived wrong-doing, which she only perpetuates by being with Spike. A pretty vicious cycle overall. Sometimes I get caught up trying to figure Buffy out myself.

Do you think she had a breaking point on the show?

[kudagirl]

I was asking about in your story. I do believe that in canon, Buffy had two moments when she finally saw herself for what she was going through. When Riley showed up at the Doublemeat Palace, she saw her life through his eyes. She wanted to grab onto him and share his life. Then Sam was introduced. It was like a slap in the face to Buffy. The type of life she could have had. She ran to Spike for comfort and begged him to say he loved her. Then when Riley found them together she snapped

[treadingthedark]

You write an excellent Buffy right on the edge. Good stuff.

[clawofcat]

Thank you! She's really hanging by a thread here.