Fic: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room, Angel/Xander, Prompt - Necrotizing fasciitis
Title: Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Series: The Dark World
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Angel/Xander
Prompt: Necrotizing fasciitis
Rating: Mature/Adults Only overall
Spoilers: AU after The Becoming, BtVS Season Two
Warnings: Bloodplay, D/s themes, dark!fic overall
Word Count: 895
This is part of my series The Dark World which is a sequel to The Dark'Verse. You should really read those before this or it won't make much sense.
Thanks to seductivembrace for the banner under the cut!
Crossposting with tamingthemuse and _xangel.
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Angel sat quietly, staring at the boy on the other side of the room. Xander sat, just as quietly, slowly cleaning his sword. Hazel eyes never looked up to make contact with his own, the young man never acknowledged the fact that he was being watched.
He never even looked up to see who had ended their room, the one place no one dared to enter when they were awake and alone.
The Shaman had come to see Xander and Angel, checking up on the Warrior and his Consort, updating them on the state of their men. At least that was the excuse he gave. Both Angel and Xander knew that the Elder was worried about his Warrior. Everyone had noticed how reserved Xander had become. He had stopped being the bright, shining face in their midst. He no longer laughed and made inappropriate comments during his trainings or during their meals.
Not that Xander had stopped trying to seem painfully normal. He still joked and smiled, only now it was forced and tight, the glint of joy in his eyes lost. Like now. Angel had watched as Xander sat for nearly an hour, simply sharpening a sword that never needed the attention - cleaning a hilt that had been meticulously clean since directly after the battle. It was as if the boy was trying to scrape off the memories ingrained in the blade or cleaning off blood he could no longer see.
The Shaman was worried - they all were - and they all looked to Angel to fix it. But the vampire was unsure of what to do, how to fix the boy other than to be there for him, giving him strength and comfort by his presence alone. Even their nightly routine had evolved into nothing more than simply going through the motions of lovemaking and feeding.
Angel longed for a way to bring Xander back to him, to make him whole again.
If only he could figure out how.
Tearing his attention away from the boy, Angel turned to the Shaman and the other advisors who had accompanied him to discuss their newest threat.
Immediately after the battle, some of the demons had begun to fall ill. Fever and chills shook their bodies, some unable to eat, their stomachs rejecting any food they consumed to help heal their broken bodies. The demons who took ill were watched closely, hidden away from the general population. Once the sores began to appear, they all knew their worst fears had been confirmed. The Others had a new biological weapon.
The sores were swollen and hot to the touch. They began to turn first purple, then red, oozing a foul smelling fluid that seemed to burn their skin. When the flesh around the wounds began to blister and die, they began to discuss ending the suffering of the infected as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a whispered voice was heard from the far side of the room.
"Necrotizing fasciitis."
"What?" Angel asked, rising to walk to where the boy still sat, cleaning his sword.
"Necrotizing fasciitis," Xander repeated emotionnessly. "Flesh eating bacteria. That's what it is. They probably coated their swords with it so that when they stabbed us, they infected us at the same time. Pretty ingenious, actually, if not totally cruel to infect an injured person."
"Treatable?" the Shaman asked, suddenly appearing over Angel's shoulder.
"Yeah," Xander replied, tucking his head to hide behind a curtain of bangs again. "Antibiotics. Angel can help you figure that part out. I always sucked at biology - or would that be chemistry? Anyway, you'll probably have to cut out the dying tissue as well. If we've caught it early enough, they should all live."
"Wonderful," several of the Counselors whispered before leaving the room.
"Why are you alright?" Angel asked the boy's bowed head.
"I was treated right away, remember?"
Angel nodded slowly even though Xander refused to look at him. He vividly recalled the bodies diligently working over his boy's still and silent frame right after the battle.
The Shaman laid a strong hand on Angel's shoulder, squeezing hard. "Again you are having saved us, Xander. Thanks I couldn't say enough."
Xander nodded faintly, barely acknowledging the praise. Once the demons had all left, Angel knelt down next to the boy. With a single finger, he raised the proud chin, forcing Xander to meet his eyes.
"How did you know that?" he asked quietly. "That was amazing."
The smile that graced Xander's face shone in his eyes beautifully.
"Willow," he explained.
Fear shot through Angel's heart as he began to worry that Xander was losing his grip on sanity before Xander continued, "We used to play Doctor when we were kids."
The boy laughed heartily at the look of confusion and jealousy on Angel's face.
"Don’t worry. Instead of making it an excuse for innocent childhood naked time, she made me read the American Medical Associations Guide and tell her what my symptoms were and she would diagnose me. She wouldn't let me pick easy ones either. Necrotizing fasciitis was one of my favorites. What kid didn't love the sound of flesh eating bacteria?"
They both laughed for a moment before the light of joy faded from Xander's hazel eyes once again.
"I never had the heart to tell her we were playing it wrong."
Tbc...
Series: The Dark World
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Angel/Xander
Prompt: Necrotizing fasciitis
Rating: Mature/Adults Only overall
Spoilers: AU after The Becoming, BtVS Season Two
Warnings: Bloodplay, D/s themes, dark!fic overall
Word Count: 895
This is part of my series The Dark World which is a sequel to The Dark'Verse. You should really read those before this or it won't make much sense.
Thanks to seductivembrace for the banner under the cut!
Crossposting with tamingthemuse and _xangel.
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Angel sat quietly, staring at the boy on the other side of the room. Xander sat, just as quietly, slowly cleaning his sword. Hazel eyes never looked up to make contact with his own, the young man never acknowledged the fact that he was being watched.
He never even looked up to see who had ended their room, the one place no one dared to enter when they were awake and alone.
The Shaman had come to see Xander and Angel, checking up on the Warrior and his Consort, updating them on the state of their men. At least that was the excuse he gave. Both Angel and Xander knew that the Elder was worried about his Warrior. Everyone had noticed how reserved Xander had become. He had stopped being the bright, shining face in their midst. He no longer laughed and made inappropriate comments during his trainings or during their meals.
Not that Xander had stopped trying to seem painfully normal. He still joked and smiled, only now it was forced and tight, the glint of joy in his eyes lost. Like now. Angel had watched as Xander sat for nearly an hour, simply sharpening a sword that never needed the attention - cleaning a hilt that had been meticulously clean since directly after the battle. It was as if the boy was trying to scrape off the memories ingrained in the blade or cleaning off blood he could no longer see.
The Shaman was worried - they all were - and they all looked to Angel to fix it. But the vampire was unsure of what to do, how to fix the boy other than to be there for him, giving him strength and comfort by his presence alone. Even their nightly routine had evolved into nothing more than simply going through the motions of lovemaking and feeding.
Angel longed for a way to bring Xander back to him, to make him whole again.
If only he could figure out how.
Tearing his attention away from the boy, Angel turned to the Shaman and the other advisors who had accompanied him to discuss their newest threat.
Immediately after the battle, some of the demons had begun to fall ill. Fever and chills shook their bodies, some unable to eat, their stomachs rejecting any food they consumed to help heal their broken bodies. The demons who took ill were watched closely, hidden away from the general population. Once the sores began to appear, they all knew their worst fears had been confirmed. The Others had a new biological weapon.
The sores were swollen and hot to the touch. They began to turn first purple, then red, oozing a foul smelling fluid that seemed to burn their skin. When the flesh around the wounds began to blister and die, they began to discuss ending the suffering of the infected as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a whispered voice was heard from the far side of the room.
"Necrotizing fasciitis."
"What?" Angel asked, rising to walk to where the boy still sat, cleaning his sword.
"Necrotizing fasciitis," Xander repeated emotionnessly. "Flesh eating bacteria. That's what it is. They probably coated their swords with it so that when they stabbed us, they infected us at the same time. Pretty ingenious, actually, if not totally cruel to infect an injured person."
"Treatable?" the Shaman asked, suddenly appearing over Angel's shoulder.
"Yeah," Xander replied, tucking his head to hide behind a curtain of bangs again. "Antibiotics. Angel can help you figure that part out. I always sucked at biology - or would that be chemistry? Anyway, you'll probably have to cut out the dying tissue as well. If we've caught it early enough, they should all live."
"Wonderful," several of the Counselors whispered before leaving the room.
"Why are you alright?" Angel asked the boy's bowed head.
"I was treated right away, remember?"
Angel nodded slowly even though Xander refused to look at him. He vividly recalled the bodies diligently working over his boy's still and silent frame right after the battle.
The Shaman laid a strong hand on Angel's shoulder, squeezing hard. "Again you are having saved us, Xander. Thanks I couldn't say enough."
Xander nodded faintly, barely acknowledging the praise. Once the demons had all left, Angel knelt down next to the boy. With a single finger, he raised the proud chin, forcing Xander to meet his eyes.
"How did you know that?" he asked quietly. "That was amazing."
The smile that graced Xander's face shone in his eyes beautifully.
"Willow," he explained.
Fear shot through Angel's heart as he began to worry that Xander was losing his grip on sanity before Xander continued, "We used to play Doctor when we were kids."
The boy laughed heartily at the look of confusion and jealousy on Angel's face.
"Don’t worry. Instead of making it an excuse for innocent childhood naked time, she made me read the American Medical Associations Guide and tell her what my symptoms were and she would diagnose me. She wouldn't let me pick easy ones either. Necrotizing fasciitis was one of my favorites. What kid didn't love the sound of flesh eating bacteria?"
They both laughed for a moment before the light of joy faded from Xander's hazel eyes once again.
"I never had the heart to tell her we were playing it wrong."
Tbc...