Fic: BtVS/Angel: Spike/Riley: Under Glass 6/17: Loss of Perspective
Title: Under Glass.
Chapter: 6/17: Loss of Perspective
Author: Trepkos
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Pairing: Spike/Riley
Rating: NC17 overall.
Standard disclaimer: no profit made, no copyright infringement intended.
Thanks for beta: shapinglight
Feedback: yes please.
NB. This fic has not been Brit-picked - please let me know if anything ain’t right.
Links to all my fic so far: Altered States
Previous Part Experimental Error
6: Loss of Perspective
When Spike got up and went out, Riley breathed a sigh of relief. He could barely stand to be in the same room with Spike right now. Couldn’t relax; couldn’t find anything to say to him. It was like he was suddenly sharing his bed with a stranger.
He managed to get to sleep but he didn’t sleep well; kept feeling as though there were bits of straw in the bed, or maybe some kind of bedbugs biting him, and when Spike came in and lay back down beside him, Riley woke up for good and all.
He waited and watched for the cracks in the shutters to appear, and when they did, he got up and dressed, and went for a walk down by the side of the river.
It was cold. It was summer and he didn’t usually feel the cold much, so why was he shivering? He looked at his hands. They were so cold that the ring - Spike’s ring - was close to slipping off his finger. What the hell; the thing didn’t seem to be working any more, not that he especially wanted it to. He took it off and put it in his pocket for safe-keeping.
He watched the water; the curls and eddies near the edge; the way leaves and twigs got trapped near the banks, then more fragments of organic material - seed pods and small animal bones and other debris - would start to accumulate around them: get tangled with them for a little while until a stronger current would wash the whole raft free and sweep it away downstream.
For a moment, he wished that something would just sweep him away somewhere. Then he shook his head at himself and turned for home.
When he got back to the yard, he went to the stables, as he often did when he felt in need of comfort. The horses were still asleep, but Jess lifted her head and stared at him with her enigmatic wall eyes. The fur around her neck stood out straight, and Riley heard a rumble in her throat. It developed into a growl. Her lips drew back from her teeth.
Riley frowned. He went towards her slowly, with his hand out. “Hey Jess, it’s me. What’s wrong?”
At the sound of his voice, the growl subsided. The dog sat up and sniffed his hand, but then she bared her teeth and the rattling growl started up again. She settled back on her haunches, as if preparing to launch herself forwards.
“No!” he said sharply, standing up, and backing away out of range of her teeth. “Down!”
Jess flattened her ears and cowered away from him, almost rolling on her side, and God, how he hated when dogs did that. He felt a primal urge to aim a kick at her belly. He turned on his heel and left.
It was lighter now. His dad was going towards the house, and had seen him, or else Riley might have ducked back into the stable. Instead he said, “Hey Dad.”
His father treated him to his patented piercing glare. “You’re up at the crack of what-the-hell-am-I-doing-out-of-bed.”
“I know. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Not surprised,” Josh said. “You haven’t been very sociable the last couple days.” Before Riley could respond, the question came like a whiplash: “What’s wrong with you, Boy?”
Riley flinched and turned away. “Don’t know. I’m … not feeling too good. Things are weird. Don’t know what’s wrong with me, but it’s something. I guess it’ll pass.”
“At least you’re not the last to know,” Josh said with a nod. “I was. When I came back - left the army - I went a bit off track. Not right away, mind. At first it felt like I was on leave, but when it sunk in … took a while to settle back here. Everything seemed too small. Maybe your friend being here’s made you hanker after -”
“No, I’ve thought of that. It’s not that. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like, everything seems unreal, you know? Like I’m under glass and we’re all just puppets, or -”
“Everything seems unreal to you does it?” Josh snorted. “Let me tell you something. It seems like that to me too. I’ve got a son who’s an ex-demon-fighter, and a vampire for a son-in-law. True, I got another son’s married to a Fundie, but we can’t have everything. I don’t owe any man a cent, and I wake up every morning next to the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on and she’s my wife. I’ll take my unreality any day, and be thankful for it.”
Riley laughed. “I guess you’re right. Thanks, Dad. I think I needed things putting into perspective.”
“Glad to oblige,” his dad said. “Coming in for some coffee?”
Riley thought about it, then waved in the direction of the cabin. “No, thanks. I think I’ll …”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
~~
Chapter: 6/17: Loss of Perspective
Author: Trepkos
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel
Pairing: Spike/Riley
Rating: NC17 overall.
Standard disclaimer: no profit made, no copyright infringement intended.
Thanks for beta: shapinglight
Feedback: yes please.
NB. This fic has not been Brit-picked - please let me know if anything ain’t right.
Links to all my fic so far: Altered States
Previous Part Experimental Error
6: Loss of Perspective
When Spike got up and went out, Riley breathed a sigh of relief. He could barely stand to be in the same room with Spike right now. Couldn’t relax; couldn’t find anything to say to him. It was like he was suddenly sharing his bed with a stranger.
He managed to get to sleep but he didn’t sleep well; kept feeling as though there were bits of straw in the bed, or maybe some kind of bedbugs biting him, and when Spike came in and lay back down beside him, Riley woke up for good and all.
He waited and watched for the cracks in the shutters to appear, and when they did, he got up and dressed, and went for a walk down by the side of the river.
It was cold. It was summer and he didn’t usually feel the cold much, so why was he shivering? He looked at his hands. They were so cold that the ring - Spike’s ring - was close to slipping off his finger. What the hell; the thing didn’t seem to be working any more, not that he especially wanted it to. He took it off and put it in his pocket for safe-keeping.
He watched the water; the curls and eddies near the edge; the way leaves and twigs got trapped near the banks, then more fragments of organic material - seed pods and small animal bones and other debris - would start to accumulate around them: get tangled with them for a little while until a stronger current would wash the whole raft free and sweep it away downstream.
For a moment, he wished that something would just sweep him away somewhere. Then he shook his head at himself and turned for home.
When he got back to the yard, he went to the stables, as he often did when he felt in need of comfort. The horses were still asleep, but Jess lifted her head and stared at him with her enigmatic wall eyes. The fur around her neck stood out straight, and Riley heard a rumble in her throat. It developed into a growl. Her lips drew back from her teeth.
Riley frowned. He went towards her slowly, with his hand out. “Hey Jess, it’s me. What’s wrong?”
At the sound of his voice, the growl subsided. The dog sat up and sniffed his hand, but then she bared her teeth and the rattling growl started up again. She settled back on her haunches, as if preparing to launch herself forwards.
“No!” he said sharply, standing up, and backing away out of range of her teeth. “Down!”
Jess flattened her ears and cowered away from him, almost rolling on her side, and God, how he hated when dogs did that. He felt a primal urge to aim a kick at her belly. He turned on his heel and left.
It was lighter now. His dad was going towards the house, and had seen him, or else Riley might have ducked back into the stable. Instead he said, “Hey Dad.”
His father treated him to his patented piercing glare. “You’re up at the crack of what-the-hell-am-I-doing-out-of-bed.”
“I know. Couldn’t sleep.”
“Not surprised,” Josh said. “You haven’t been very sociable the last couple days.” Before Riley could respond, the question came like a whiplash: “What’s wrong with you, Boy?”
Riley flinched and turned away. “Don’t know. I’m … not feeling too good. Things are weird. Don’t know what’s wrong with me, but it’s something. I guess it’ll pass.”
“At least you’re not the last to know,” Josh said with a nod. “I was. When I came back - left the army - I went a bit off track. Not right away, mind. At first it felt like I was on leave, but when it sunk in … took a while to settle back here. Everything seemed too small. Maybe your friend being here’s made you hanker after -”
“No, I’ve thought of that. It’s not that. I don’t know how to describe it. It’s like, everything seems unreal, you know? Like I’m under glass and we’re all just puppets, or -”
“Everything seems unreal to you does it?” Josh snorted. “Let me tell you something. It seems like that to me too. I’ve got a son who’s an ex-demon-fighter, and a vampire for a son-in-law. True, I got another son’s married to a Fundie, but we can’t have everything. I don’t owe any man a cent, and I wake up every morning next to the most beautiful woman I ever laid eyes on and she’s my wife. I’ll take my unreality any day, and be thankful for it.”
Riley laughed. “I guess you’re right. Thanks, Dad. I think I needed things putting into perspective.”
“Glad to oblige,” his dad said. “Coming in for some coffee?”
Riley thought about it, then waved in the direction of the cabin. “No, thanks. I think I’ll …”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
~~