August 29 - Demonology 101 (BtVS/MCU)
Title: Demonology 101
Author: Glitterangelem
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Word Count: 627
Summary: There were a lot more demon books than Rhodey could have ever anticipated. A sequel to Truth Telling from last year.
“What is that thing?” James Rhodey asked in disgust as he pointed at a drawing of a wrinkled face demon with long eyes protruding from its head.
Craning her neck to see, Buffy explained, “Oh, that’s the Kinderstod.”
“Wait, the demon you fought when you were on the hospital?” he asked in disbelief, placing the demon book down and grabbing a copy of Giles’ Watcher Diary, flipping through the pages until we found the entry about her hospital stay. “That is terrifying.”
“Yeah, glad I got rid of him,” she said absently before pausing, tilting her head. “You know, I never got rid of the body, since I couldn’t see it when my fever broke. I wonder whatever happened to it.”
“Do you really want to know?”
Considering that, Buffy shook her head. “No, not really.”
James went back to his demon book and the two worked quietly side by side. There was still a tenseness, a hesitation between the two of them, ever since Buffy’s reveal of her vampire slayer secret. Thankfully, Tony was still recovering from being shot, or else Rhodey would not have a moment’s rest. Well, even recovery did not slow Tony down much, as Rhodey’s mostly ignored phone could attest. Last time he checked, he had at least 37 unread texts, each with a more outlandish suggestion about Buffy’s abilities than the last.
Still, Buffy was making an effort, which is why the two of them were hunkering down in a private library owned by the Watcher’s Council, giving Rhodey access to a number of texts he might not otherwise find. It helped, a bit, to get a picture of what her world was like.
Turning the page of the demon codex, he pulled another face, this time gesturing towards a picture of a skeletal demon, with only the thinnest of skin pulled taut over its bones, its mouth curved in a smile to show all of its teeth filed to sharp points, “You fought this one too?”
Again, pausing on her own work, she glanced over and said, “Yeah, Gnarl. He paralyzed people and fed on their skin.”
“All of this is deeply disturbing,” he said with a shake of his head. “When you said you fought demons and vampires, I didn’t quite grasp what that entailed. And all of these are from Earth?”
“Most of them,” she confirmed. “Well, there’s also a bunch from other dimensions, usually Hell dimensions. Oh, and a couple from space.”
“Do my ears deceive me?” called a voice from the doorway, and both Buffy and Rhodey looked up to see an older British gentlemen walking through the doors of the library. “Or are you actually discussing origination of demons?”
Rhodey noticed that Buffy stilled at the voice, and her eyes grew slightly wider at the older man walking towards them. Giving Rhodey a tight smile, she said, “Yep, that’s me being research girl, Giles.”
It was like a lightbulb clicked on in his head when Rhodey heard the name, and he automatically closed the book and stood up and reached over the table with an outstretched hand. “Mr. Giles? I’m James Rhodes.”
Taking the outstretched hand, gripping it slightly more firmly than was polite, Giles said, “Nice to meet you, Colonel Rhodes. I’ve heard almost nothing about you.”
The comment was directed at Buffy, who merely blushed slightly and looked down, opening her mouth to explain when Giles’ mouth twitched slightly upwards and he continued, “But anyone able to get Buffy to open up the research books and actually discuss demonology without a great deal of cajoling or scolding is worth their weight in gold.”
The tension in the room broke as Giles released Rhodey’s hand with a smile, even at Buffy’s yell of “Giles!”
Author: Glitterangelem
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Marvel Cinematic Universe
Rating: PG
Word Count: 627
Summary: There were a lot more demon books than Rhodey could have ever anticipated. A sequel to Truth Telling from last year.
“What is that thing?” James Rhodey asked in disgust as he pointed at a drawing of a wrinkled face demon with long eyes protruding from its head.
Craning her neck to see, Buffy explained, “Oh, that’s the Kinderstod.”
“Wait, the demon you fought when you were on the hospital?” he asked in disbelief, placing the demon book down and grabbing a copy of Giles’ Watcher Diary, flipping through the pages until we found the entry about her hospital stay. “That is terrifying.”
“Yeah, glad I got rid of him,” she said absently before pausing, tilting her head. “You know, I never got rid of the body, since I couldn’t see it when my fever broke. I wonder whatever happened to it.”
“Do you really want to know?”
Considering that, Buffy shook her head. “No, not really.”
James went back to his demon book and the two worked quietly side by side. There was still a tenseness, a hesitation between the two of them, ever since Buffy’s reveal of her vampire slayer secret. Thankfully, Tony was still recovering from being shot, or else Rhodey would not have a moment’s rest. Well, even recovery did not slow Tony down much, as Rhodey’s mostly ignored phone could attest. Last time he checked, he had at least 37 unread texts, each with a more outlandish suggestion about Buffy’s abilities than the last.
Still, Buffy was making an effort, which is why the two of them were hunkering down in a private library owned by the Watcher’s Council, giving Rhodey access to a number of texts he might not otherwise find. It helped, a bit, to get a picture of what her world was like.
Turning the page of the demon codex, he pulled another face, this time gesturing towards a picture of a skeletal demon, with only the thinnest of skin pulled taut over its bones, its mouth curved in a smile to show all of its teeth filed to sharp points, “You fought this one too?”
Again, pausing on her own work, she glanced over and said, “Yeah, Gnarl. He paralyzed people and fed on their skin.”
“All of this is deeply disturbing,” he said with a shake of his head. “When you said you fought demons and vampires, I didn’t quite grasp what that entailed. And all of these are from Earth?”
“Most of them,” she confirmed. “Well, there’s also a bunch from other dimensions, usually Hell dimensions. Oh, and a couple from space.”
“Do my ears deceive me?” called a voice from the doorway, and both Buffy and Rhodey looked up to see an older British gentlemen walking through the doors of the library. “Or are you actually discussing origination of demons?”
Rhodey noticed that Buffy stilled at the voice, and her eyes grew slightly wider at the older man walking towards them. Giving Rhodey a tight smile, she said, “Yep, that’s me being research girl, Giles.”
It was like a lightbulb clicked on in his head when Rhodey heard the name, and he automatically closed the book and stood up and reached over the table with an outstretched hand. “Mr. Giles? I’m James Rhodes.”
Taking the outstretched hand, gripping it slightly more firmly than was polite, Giles said, “Nice to meet you, Colonel Rhodes. I’ve heard almost nothing about you.”
The comment was directed at Buffy, who merely blushed slightly and looked down, opening her mouth to explain when Giles’ mouth twitched slightly upwards and he continued, “But anyone able to get Buffy to open up the research books and actually discuss demonology without a great deal of cajoling or scolding is worth their weight in gold.”
The tension in the room broke as Giles released Rhodey’s hand with a smile, even at Buffy’s yell of “Giles!”