{buffyverse} unsettling
My very late entry for femslash_minis along with my apologies. This was probably one of the most challenging pairings I've had to write for that community and in general.
Title: Unsettling
Author: aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffyverse
Pairing/Characters: Illyria/Buffybot (implied Illyria/Spike, Spike/Buffybot)
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon and company.
Prompts: Written for Round 61 at femslash_minis for brutti_ma_buoni who wanted "someday he'll be a real boy," loose connection, homesick without non-con and a pre-The Gift setting.
Notes: This is very AU, set after "The End" and deals with the aftermath of the battle.
Summary: Still the emotion that remains the strongest is that of jealousy.
Word Count: 836
"...Someday Willow he will be a real boy and I love him so much..."
The robot flares into life and a stream of bubbly conversation that Illyria has no patience for. She's not even sure why Angel was so insistent that it could be of any assistance. To the former god-king, it is merely a bundle of wires, metal and plastic, hardly worthy of an avatar. For a moment, Illyria allows it to spew forth it's inanities until she realizes that it's talking about Spike and for some reason it makes her mad. How could this thing, this cheap little toy turned avatar be worthy of Spike. A strange mixture of homesickness and rage momentarily blinds her. There was once a time when she wouldn't have had to rely on it, when she could have merely used her powers and none of them (not Wesley, not Spike, not Gunn) would be dead. Fred's sacrifice would have been worthy.
Illyria hits it and is shocked when the robot bounces off of the wall and falls silent. She had thought that it was stronger than that. It is after all supposed to be an avatar for the blonde Slayer that Spike had been obsessed with. Illyria slowly moves over to it and stares down at it. (She'd never admit it, or if she did she'd blame the remnants of Fred within her, but she finds the soulless eyes of the robot unnerving.) With a sigh, Illyria picks up the robot and slings it over her shoulder. Something seems to jar in the robot and it resumes speaking.
"Willow I don't feel very good."
It's voice is weak and Illyria sets it down.
"I am not Willow."
The robot's blank eyes look up at her and there's a human reaction of nervousness when it attempts to bite it's lower lip, yet there's something garish about the motion. (There's something about the robot that reminds Illyria that she is nothing more than a thief who is masquerading as Fred.)
"Please run my diagnostic program."
The robot's voice is mechanical and it repeats it's demands three times before Illyria asks how she is supposed to do that. Apparently all she needs to do is simply command the robot to run it's program and it will. (Later on the robot will gush how Willow changed her programming so that anyone without technical ability would be able to ensure it's continued existence.) Twenty-five seconds after telling it to run the program, Illyria is told that there is a loose connection and then walked through how to fix it. (She is filled for a sense of longing when magic and power were her tools. Now she is in a shell of a body, weakened and powerless in so many ways.)
"Thank you. My name is Buffy, what is yours?"
"That is irrelevant."
The robot looks at her with it's plastic smile and blank eyes and Illyria wonders if Wesley ever felt this way about her in relation to Fred. The robot continues to prattle on about how she likes friends and it makes Illyria ache from clenching her teeth.
"Stop talking," Illyria commands it.
Thankfully it falls silent and Illyria commands it to follow her. They walk silently and Illyria can't help but wonder why Spike felt it necessary to make an avatar of the Slayer. Why the Slayer's friend felt it necessary to keep this avatar and why Angel thinks that it will help them in their continued battle with Wolfram and Hart. Still the emotion that remains the strongest is that of jealousy. Something that Lorne had explained to her.
She is jealous of the Slayer that once held Spike's heart. Of the avatar that he created to replicate the Slayer and live out his dreams. Spike is gone now. The Slayer doesn't care enough about his fall to be here in person, instead they must make do with a robot with a fake cheerful smile and blank eyes that make Illyria, a god-king, jealousy and guilty.
Illyria stops moving and the robot bumps into her back. For a moment, Illyria can almost pretend that it is a human. Without thinking she assumes Fred's shape and turns to face the robot. The robot's right eyebrow delicately arches up but she doesn't say anything. Illyria leans forward and kisses it. At first the robot stays still, it's lips hard and unfeeling until they soften and the kiss is returned. Illyria stops thinking of it as an it and starts thinking of it as a she. Her small hands hesitantly move upwards and tangle in Illyria's hair as she moves closer until their chests are pressing and Illyria thinks that she can understand why Spike was so in love with the idea of Buffy that he made this robot.
She breaks the kiss and her form melts back into her true form once more. The robot is breathless even though Illyria knows that she does not need the air.
"Tell me more about Spike."
((END))
Title: Unsettling
Author: aaronlisa
Fandom: Buffyverse
Pairing/Characters: Illyria/Buffybot (implied Illyria/Spike, Spike/Buffybot)
Rating: FR13
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel belong to Joss Whedon and company.
Prompts: Written for Round 61 at femslash_minis for brutti_ma_buoni who wanted "someday he'll be a real boy," loose connection, homesick without non-con and a pre-The Gift setting.
Notes: This is very AU, set after "The End" and deals with the aftermath of the battle.
Summary: Still the emotion that remains the strongest is that of jealousy.
Word Count: 836
"...Someday Willow he will be a real boy and I love him so much..."
The robot flares into life and a stream of bubbly conversation that Illyria has no patience for. She's not even sure why Angel was so insistent that it could be of any assistance. To the former god-king, it is merely a bundle of wires, metal and plastic, hardly worthy of an avatar. For a moment, Illyria allows it to spew forth it's inanities until she realizes that it's talking about Spike and for some reason it makes her mad. How could this thing, this cheap little toy turned avatar be worthy of Spike. A strange mixture of homesickness and rage momentarily blinds her. There was once a time when she wouldn't have had to rely on it, when she could have merely used her powers and none of them (not Wesley, not Spike, not Gunn) would be dead. Fred's sacrifice would have been worthy.
Illyria hits it and is shocked when the robot bounces off of the wall and falls silent. She had thought that it was stronger than that. It is after all supposed to be an avatar for the blonde Slayer that Spike had been obsessed with. Illyria slowly moves over to it and stares down at it. (She'd never admit it, or if she did she'd blame the remnants of Fred within her, but she finds the soulless eyes of the robot unnerving.) With a sigh, Illyria picks up the robot and slings it over her shoulder. Something seems to jar in the robot and it resumes speaking.
"Willow I don't feel very good."
It's voice is weak and Illyria sets it down.
"I am not Willow."
The robot's blank eyes look up at her and there's a human reaction of nervousness when it attempts to bite it's lower lip, yet there's something garish about the motion. (There's something about the robot that reminds Illyria that she is nothing more than a thief who is masquerading as Fred.)
"Please run my diagnostic program."
The robot's voice is mechanical and it repeats it's demands three times before Illyria asks how she is supposed to do that. Apparently all she needs to do is simply command the robot to run it's program and it will. (Later on the robot will gush how Willow changed her programming so that anyone without technical ability would be able to ensure it's continued existence.) Twenty-five seconds after telling it to run the program, Illyria is told that there is a loose connection and then walked through how to fix it. (She is filled for a sense of longing when magic and power were her tools. Now she is in a shell of a body, weakened and powerless in so many ways.)
"Thank you. My name is Buffy, what is yours?"
"That is irrelevant."
The robot looks at her with it's plastic smile and blank eyes and Illyria wonders if Wesley ever felt this way about her in relation to Fred. The robot continues to prattle on about how she likes friends and it makes Illyria ache from clenching her teeth.
"Stop talking," Illyria commands it.
Thankfully it falls silent and Illyria commands it to follow her. They walk silently and Illyria can't help but wonder why Spike felt it necessary to make an avatar of the Slayer. Why the Slayer's friend felt it necessary to keep this avatar and why Angel thinks that it will help them in their continued battle with Wolfram and Hart. Still the emotion that remains the strongest is that of jealousy. Something that Lorne had explained to her.
She is jealous of the Slayer that once held Spike's heart. Of the avatar that he created to replicate the Slayer and live out his dreams. Spike is gone now. The Slayer doesn't care enough about his fall to be here in person, instead they must make do with a robot with a fake cheerful smile and blank eyes that make Illyria, a god-king, jealousy and guilty.
Illyria stops moving and the robot bumps into her back. For a moment, Illyria can almost pretend that it is a human. Without thinking she assumes Fred's shape and turns to face the robot. The robot's right eyebrow delicately arches up but she doesn't say anything. Illyria leans forward and kisses it. At first the robot stays still, it's lips hard and unfeeling until they soften and the kiss is returned. Illyria stops thinking of it as an it and starts thinking of it as a she. Her small hands hesitantly move upwards and tangle in Illyria's hair as she moves closer until their chests are pressing and Illyria thinks that she can understand why Spike was so in love with the idea of Buffy that he made this robot.
She breaks the kiss and her form melts back into her true form once more. The robot is breathless even though Illyria knows that she does not need the air.
"Tell me more about Spike."
((END))