Letting himself be led into, apparently the Magic box if the sounds of the traffic were anything to go by, Wesley steeled himself. He wasn’t looking forward to facing the others at all. And the moment those thougths left his brain, he noticed the irony of it. He wasn’t going to be doing any facing, let alone looking
( ... )
Giles sighed. He wanted to stay by Wesley's side as much as possible, but he wasn't sure how Wesley would react to that. He smiled his thanks to Buffy and nodded. When Wesley jumped at Xander's touch, Giles moved closer to his love, making sure his shoulder brushed Wesley's.
"There was a doll on our doorstep a few nights ago. I checked it before I brought it inside the wards, but . . . clearly not well enough. It, uh, its eyes were . . . poked out. It was something stolen from the shop. I had planned to give it to Marjory and something . . ." Giles went to the table and opened one of the books to a picture of the demon he and Wesley had found the other day. "This, we believe, took it. It's in the back, I'll get it."
Wesley felt Giles' presence before he *actually* felt it. He didn't think the man was hovering, though it was close call. It was hard not to get annoyed by it, but Wesley suspected a lot of things would annoy him at the moment. Things, which normally wouldn't annoy him at all. He took a deep breath and quickly got himself under control again
( ... )
"Yes, well . . . Appearances are deceiving and all that." Giles really didn't like to touch the thing. He handed it off to Willow as soon as he could and the moment she touched it she dropped it onto the table.
"Okay, that thing? E. V. I. L!" Willow shuddered elaborately and Giles sighed, closing his eyes. If the spell was that obvious to Willow and he'd someone how managed to miss it not once, but twice, he was clearly slipping.
"The question is how do we undo this?" He asked, looking to Wesley. Honestly, he would have rather his lover had been able to see--and yell at him for--the pity in his eyes. God, he hated to see Wesley hurting, physically or not.
Appearances were more then a little deceiving, Wesley thought as most of it went right past him. He was getting frustrated by just sitting here and not being able to help at all. Or say anything constructive. Just as he was getting frustrated with everyone looking at him, or so he imagined, with pity in their eyes
( ... )
Giles stood there for a moment, watching Wesley and trying to decide on the best course of action. What he was about to ask might well be the most idiotic thing to ever come out of his mouth, but . . . it was the only thing he could think of for Wesley to do . . . the only thing that didn't require him to see. Beyond that, Wesley was an adult, not a child to be coddled. He wanted to his over with and Giles was guessing that feeling as if he were doing something was the most important thing at the moment.
Finally deciding to take the chance, Giles went and sat next to his lover, making sure to be a bit noisy about it.
"There are several phone calls to be made, love. Ethan, of course, but also my father, who might have run into something like this before. I can get you a tape recorder to take notes and you can make the calls in the office, if you want to make them."
Even drumming his fingers impatiently on the table wasn't giving him the distraction that he needed right now. Now that Wesley had thought it would, but it had been worth a try. Reciting texts and translating them from one language into another didn't seem to help either. In fact, it only frustrated him *more*, because he had the urge to look them up to see if he was right. He couldn't 'look things up', let alone 'see
( ... )
"All right," Giles said. It wasn't anything less than he'd expected, but it was just a bit disappointing. Ethan was, by far, the best chance of someone who would know about this kind of magic, between he and my father, anyway. Still, I could call him later if Wesley was unwilling too.
"I'll get you settled on the phone and then go back to the research. Willow's found a few promising leads, but there's simply so much to sift through. She's fairly certain that, once Tara returns, we'll have to examine you to find the spell and counter it."
Now that he was blind, Wesley found that he was more in tune with the sounds around him. Of course there was the fact that he knew Giles and the various intonations intimately by now. And it was this one he hated the most. Disappointment. He wrecked his brain to figure out what he had done this time to merit that tone.
Ah. But of course. Ethan again. It *always* came down to Ethan. What did his lover expect? For him to sit there and listen to that bastard laugh and mock what was happening to him now, and no doubt gleefully at that. It wasn't something he needed right now, but he doubted Giles would ever really understand. The man was a tad bias when it came to that wizard.
"That's fine," he sighed instead, not up to arguing about this again. It was like beating a dead horse anyway. He got up and tried to recall where the phone was. Which was odd, considering he used the damn thing several times. "Wait, what? Examine me? Oh...you-you mean...right. Magical." Good god, for a moment there the mere word 'examine' made him growl.
"Yes, of course," Giles answered, standing to guide Wesley to the office. "It shouldn't be too bad, but . . . if this spell does the same thing as the one we encountered in the doll it might be a bit . . . uncomfortable." Giles sighed, guiding Wesley to the chair in the office. "We'll do our bests to make it quick and easy on you, love."
Once Wesley was seated, Giles pushed the phone over toward him, bumping his hand with it. "I'll dial, if you like."
Uncomfortable? Wesley would've laughed about that if he didn't think that would offend Giles. Or get him a quick trip to the mad house. Either way, he managed to tamper down on it. He already was uncomfortable; he doubted very much it could get any worse. Or even worse then he had felt in his life. It probably was going to be easy compared to that.
Sighing, he let Giles lead him, again, this time to the office no doubt. It was the realization that this wasn't easy for his lover either which made him bite down on yet another sarcastic remark. Of course Giles was going to have to dial for him. Unless he wanted Wesley to punch the numbers and have him end up in some herbal shop in China.
"If you would, please," he said instead, moving his hand over the one Giles had on the phone. Christ, what he wanted right now was to feel his partner's arms around me. Be certain it would be alright. Craving that reassurance but knowing he couldn't ask. What he'd loved to do right now was just go home and hide in bed with Giles.
After dialing the number, Giles leaned in and kissed Wesley's temple. "Call me if you need anything," he said soft, brushing his hand along Wesley's arm. He wanted to say more, to do something, but he'd been saying the same thing all day and research was the only thing that might actually help the situation.
Sighing, Giles pressed another kiss to Wesley's temple and then turned to go. He paused at the door, glancing back toward his partner and then finally forced himself to move. Shutting the door behind himself, he went to the table and sat down with Willow and Buffy to see if they couldn't narrow things down further.
Wesley’s eyes fluttered closed when he felt his partners lips brush his temple. It may be a small thing, insignificant to most others, but to Wesley it meant comfort. He had to stop himself from reaching out and just holding onto Giles until the darkness would just go away.
“I will,” Wesley replied quietly, his voice barely a whisper. He clutched the receiver in his hand and felt suddenly very alone when Giles touch left his body. It wasn’t until he heard his lovers footsteps leaving the room that he thought about the fact that it might actually work better if he put the receiver up to his ear.
Giles found it hard to focus on the books. His eyes were clear, but his mind was a complete muddle and he had no idea what he'd just read. Sighing, he removed his glasses and tossed them onto the book, rubbing his eyes as if that would make it easier though he knew it wouldn't
( ... )
Giles looked up from his book and rubbed at his neck. He was getting somewhere, he knew it. From what he remembered of the spell they'd glimpsed in the doll--Willow and Tara had only found traces of it when they'd examined the thing--he'd finally found something similar.
"We're ready for Wesley, whenever he's ready," Tara said, giving Giles an encouraging smile.
"Oh? I'll let him know." Standing with a sigh, Giles headed toward his office and slipped inside. Wesley seemed to be done with the phone. The expression on his face twisted Giles' heart. "Wesley? The girls are ready to examine you, if you're ready."
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"There was a doll on our doorstep a few nights ago. I checked it before I brought it inside the wards, but . . . clearly not well enough. It, uh, its eyes were . . . poked out. It was something stolen from the shop. I had planned to give it to Marjory and something . . ." Giles went to the table and opened one of the books to a picture of the demon he and Wesley had found the other day. "This, we believe, took it. It's in the back, I'll get it."
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"Okay, that thing? E. V. I. L!" Willow shuddered elaborately and Giles sighed, closing his eyes. If the spell was that obvious to Willow and he'd someone how managed to miss it not once, but twice, he was clearly slipping.
"The question is how do we undo this?" He asked, looking to Wesley. Honestly, he would have rather his lover had been able to see--and yell at him for--the pity in his eyes. God, he hated to see Wesley hurting, physically or not.
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Finally deciding to take the chance, Giles went and sat next to his lover, making sure to be a bit noisy about it.
"There are several phone calls to be made, love. Ethan, of course, but also my father, who might have run into something like this before. I can get you a tape recorder to take notes and you can make the calls in the office, if you want to make them."
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"I'll get you settled on the phone and then go back to the research. Willow's found a few promising leads, but there's simply so much to sift through. She's fairly certain that, once Tara returns, we'll have to examine you to find the spell and counter it."
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Ah. But of course. Ethan again. It *always* came down to Ethan. What did his lover expect? For him to sit there and listen to that bastard laugh and mock what was happening to him now, and no doubt gleefully at that. It wasn't something he needed right now, but he doubted Giles would ever really understand. The man was a tad bias when it came to that wizard.
"That's fine," he sighed instead, not up to arguing about this again. It was like beating a dead horse anyway. He got up and tried to recall where the phone was. Which was odd, considering he used the damn thing several times. "Wait, what? Examine me? Oh...you-you mean...right. Magical." Good god, for a moment there the mere word 'examine' made him growl.
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Once Wesley was seated, Giles pushed the phone over toward him, bumping his hand with it. "I'll dial, if you like."
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Sighing, he let Giles lead him, again, this time to the office no doubt. It was the realization that this wasn't easy for his lover either which made him bite down on yet another sarcastic remark. Of course Giles was going to have to dial for him. Unless he wanted Wesley to punch the numbers and have him end up in some herbal shop in China.
"If you would, please," he said instead, moving his hand over the one Giles had on the phone. Christ, what he wanted right now was to feel his partner's arms around me. Be certain it would be alright. Craving that reassurance but knowing he couldn't ask. What he'd loved to do right now was just go home and hide in bed with Giles.
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Sighing, Giles pressed another kiss to Wesley's temple and then turned to go. He paused at the door, glancing back toward his partner and then finally forced himself to move. Shutting the door behind himself, he went to the table and sat down with Willow and Buffy to see if they couldn't narrow things down further.
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“I will,” Wesley replied quietly, his voice barely a whisper. He clutched the receiver in his hand and felt suddenly very alone when Giles touch left his body. It wasn’t until he heard his lovers footsteps leaving the room that he thought about the fact that it might actually work better if he put the receiver up to his ear.
“Hello?” a familiar voice came on the other side.
“Ah, Mister Gil- Edward. It’s-it’s Wesley…”
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"We're ready for Wesley, whenever he's ready," Tara said, giving Giles an encouraging smile.
"Oh? I'll let him know." Standing with a sigh, Giles headed toward his office and slipped inside. Wesley seemed to be done with the phone. The expression on his face twisted Giles' heart. "Wesley? The girls are ready to examine you, if you're ready."
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