Fic: Similar
Title: Similar
Author: xocoatldreams
Fandom: BtVS
Characters/Pairings: Wes, Cordy, Xander
Rating: Pg/R
Prompt/Challenge: tamingthemuse Explosion, angst_bingo See warnings
Warnings: Dub-con
Disclaimer: I don't own, I just wish I did.
A/N: Part of my whump!Xander series, but can be read alone.
Faded | What We Can't Touch
He was so very careful. At least in keeping others from finding out. Bathing in products sure to fool vampire senses, acting as if everything was fine in his world. He managed to fool all of them for months, hiding his shameful secret behind the reflective lenses of his glasses and his extensive vocabulary.
Months of hiding and it all fell apart in one single moment. He could remember seeing the bedraggled young man dragging himself in through the doors to the Hyperion. Angel’s face had taken on a steely look and Cordelia shrieked in horror. Charles just stared, but then again the streetwise man had never met one Xander Harris before and therefore could only be shocked by the fact that anyone looked like that. Xander hadn’t said anything other than asking for a place to stay. No matter how hard Angel tried, the young man was mum on what had driven him out of Sunnydale and to LA.
And like his own secret, Xander’s was ferreted out by the same person. He really couldn’t fault Cordy. She liked to know what was happening around her and loathed being kept out of the loop. So Xander showing up and not talking about why had nearly driven the ex-cheerleader into an explosion.
~*~
“Something’s wrong with him,” Cordy snapped, glaring at Wes.
“Other than the bruises, he seems fine to me,” the British man murmured. He was too aware of his own problems to go poking his nose into other people’s.
“He’s not fine! He barely talks. He doesn’t sleep and I have to force him to eat.”
“Cordy,” Wes began.
“No, there’s something wrong and we need to find out what.”
"Some people don't want others poking around in their business," he said tiredly. "I know I prefer to keep my own trouble quiet."
"Wes?"
He blinked, retracing his words. Yes, he had said that. "It's nothing, Cordy."
"Obviously it's something," she retorted. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," he sighed. "I've just got a bit of a debt to settle."
"Debt? Settle? How?"
"it's not important," he waved a hand.
"Angel has money he can lend you," she started.
"It's gone beyond money," Wes smiled sadly.
"What do you owe?"
"Myself," Wes said softly.
"You mean..?"
"Yes. And he prefers it when I'm severely displeased with the idea."
"Meaning?"
"He chooses the time, the place, the bloody position and I'm forced to bend over! Is that what you wanted to hear?" he snarled, turning away.
"No, but for what I managed to get from Xander, your situation might not be that different from his," she whispered. "Maybe you should talk to him."
"Cordy?"
"I can't, Wes," she shook her head. "He won't tell me because he thinks he needs to protect me. But he might tell you. Talk to him."
"Fine, I will."
~*~
It's amazing how two people so very different can have so many things in common. While he might have no suffered because of a debt, Xander still suffered and he understood exactly where WEs was coming form. It was nice to have someone on the same page for once. Abuse has so many forms and they both had put themselves in the hands of their abusers. Maybe standing together they could make it past the past.
fin
Author: xocoatldreams
Fandom: BtVS
Characters/Pairings: Wes, Cordy, Xander
Rating: Pg/R
Prompt/Challenge: tamingthemuse Explosion, angst_bingo See warnings
Warnings: Dub-con
Disclaimer: I don't own, I just wish I did.
A/N: Part of my whump!Xander series, but can be read alone.
Faded | What We Can't Touch
He was so very careful. At least in keeping others from finding out. Bathing in products sure to fool vampire senses, acting as if everything was fine in his world. He managed to fool all of them for months, hiding his shameful secret behind the reflective lenses of his glasses and his extensive vocabulary.
Months of hiding and it all fell apart in one single moment. He could remember seeing the bedraggled young man dragging himself in through the doors to the Hyperion. Angel’s face had taken on a steely look and Cordelia shrieked in horror. Charles just stared, but then again the streetwise man had never met one Xander Harris before and therefore could only be shocked by the fact that anyone looked like that. Xander hadn’t said anything other than asking for a place to stay. No matter how hard Angel tried, the young man was mum on what had driven him out of Sunnydale and to LA.
And like his own secret, Xander’s was ferreted out by the same person. He really couldn’t fault Cordy. She liked to know what was happening around her and loathed being kept out of the loop. So Xander showing up and not talking about why had nearly driven the ex-cheerleader into an explosion.
~*~
“Something’s wrong with him,” Cordy snapped, glaring at Wes.
“Other than the bruises, he seems fine to me,” the British man murmured. He was too aware of his own problems to go poking his nose into other people’s.
“He’s not fine! He barely talks. He doesn’t sleep and I have to force him to eat.”
“Cordy,” Wes began.
“No, there’s something wrong and we need to find out what.”
"Some people don't want others poking around in their business," he said tiredly. "I know I prefer to keep my own trouble quiet."
"Wes?"
He blinked, retracing his words. Yes, he had said that. "It's nothing, Cordy."
"Obviously it's something," she retorted. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," he sighed. "I've just got a bit of a debt to settle."
"Debt? Settle? How?"
"it's not important," he waved a hand.
"Angel has money he can lend you," she started.
"It's gone beyond money," Wes smiled sadly.
"What do you owe?"
"Myself," Wes said softly.
"You mean..?"
"Yes. And he prefers it when I'm severely displeased with the idea."
"Meaning?"
"He chooses the time, the place, the bloody position and I'm forced to bend over! Is that what you wanted to hear?" he snarled, turning away.
"No, but for what I managed to get from Xander, your situation might not be that different from his," she whispered. "Maybe you should talk to him."
"Cordy?"
"I can't, Wes," she shook her head. "He won't tell me because he thinks he needs to protect me. But he might tell you. Talk to him."
"Fine, I will."
~*~
It's amazing how two people so very different can have so many things in common. While he might have no suffered because of a debt, Xander still suffered and he understood exactly where WEs was coming form. It was nice to have someone on the same page for once. Abuse has so many forms and they both had put themselves in the hands of their abusers. Maybe standing together they could make it past the past.
fin