Ficlet ~ Burn Marks

[clawofcat]

Title: Burn Marks
Author: ClawofCat
Timing: Season 6, Post-Wrecked
Rating: NC-17
Pairings: Buffy/Spike
Word Count: 705
Warnings: Violent sex
Summary: A sequel to The Cross. Buffy takes out her tumultuous emotions on Spike with surprising results.

A/N: Written as a follow-up ficlet to my entry for 

Comments

[mere_ubu]

Appropriate, that, he thinks.

Indeed! Beautiful, painful picture here, and so vivid--Spike trying, in his midguided way, to help, and Buffy wanting only to hurt/be hurt.

[clawofcat]

Perfect icon! *gives you a cookie* How do you always do that?

Spike trying, in his midguided way, to help, and Buffy wanting only to hurt/be hurt.
They are rather tragic here, it's true. Glad you thought Spike was a bit misguided, too. He doesn't really understand how to make Buffy better and by giving in to her whims he only enables her further by not helpling her break the cycle. She's stuck on this loop and he's got to knock her out of it. Magical Cock of Healing aside, he's gotta think outside the soulless box.

[red_satin_doll]

Magical Cock of Healing aside, he's gotta think outside the soulless box.

*nods* i understand that he wants to help but in the end he's not only enabling, but it's a mutally abusive relationship. (I think "You belong in the dark, with me", is one of the darkest moments in the season for her, and the absolutely WORST thing he could have said to her at the time.)

The scene in Sleeper when The First as Buffy goads Spike into biting a girl and then says "That's my guy" is especially chilling in the context of S6. Be careful what you wish for, Spike: The First as Buffy is the endpoint of "You belong in the dark with me", his wish made manifest - Buffy not only as demon (soulless vampire) but as evil beyond evil, beyond possibility of redemption, hungry to feel only in order to wreak havoc and destruction and snap necks in its hands.

[clawofcat]

I totally agree. The "You belong in the dark with me" Spuffy moment is when I think we see Spike at his most manipulative and controlling on screen that season. Much of the time Buffy is presented as the aggressor, but that moment shed a lot of light on who Spike was and the urges he still had in him. I think we forget what a sicko he was in the face of being feminized and victimized by his injuries in S2, and then subjugated by Angelus. Most of what we know of Spike is already at a point in his character development where he is painted as morally grey rather than downright evil. But that gives us a glimpse and though I take issue with Seeing Red, I could see how Bronze!Spike could devolve into Bathroom!Spike when desperation kicked in.

Be careful what you wish for, Spike: The First as Buffy is the endpoint of "You belong in the dark with me", his wish made manifestWow! That's a really interesting interpretation. I'd love to read a fic where Buffy turns down that dark path rather than clawing her way back to "good." It would have

[louise39]

What a pair...She hurts him seeking some kind of relief and then wants him to hurt her. He will do anything for her - even hurt her.

The violence and pain spiral around them with no purpose.

[clawofcat]

The violence and pain spiral around them with no purpose.
This really goes to show just how out of control they are and how ill-equipped and misguided Spike is in believing he's helping her. The sex is just an escape. It doesn't get to the root of the problem, but by allowing Buffy to cintinue on with him, it only perpetuates her own cycle of self-loathing. Buffy is beyond fucked up here. She really could have done with some intense therapy.

[louise39]

I was thinking again about these two and the violence they inflicted upon each other.
Spike is a vampire who lived with an insane BDSM junkie for 100+ years. He bounced from William gentility to Angelus taught pain and never got exactly what Buffy needed. But he did one thing. He loved her and gave her the opportunity, time and space that Buffy could use to vent her 'cycle of self-loathing' until she could heal herself.
"What do you need from me, love?” And sadly neither knew the answer.

[clawofcat]

Heh, this fic keeps you thinking about these two, eh? You could tie knots in your thoughts trying to figure out what went wrong, who did wrong, etc. when it comes to this relationship. There really is no right answer.

He loved her and gave her the opportunity, time and space that Buffy could use to vent her 'cycle of self-loathing' until she could heal herself.
I was just thinking, how different is this from Buffy's behavior after she's killed by The Master and after she kills Angel? Distance seems to be a big factor in Buffy being able to cope with tragedy. She literally has to remove herself from her life in order to work things out. In the first two instances she runs, goes to LA, once to stay with her father for the summer and the other as a runaway. She doesn't have that option in S6, so Spike provides the only "distant" space available to Buffy. I hadn't thought of this before you mentioned it. Also, if we look at her behavior during When She Was Bad, I feel like we should have seen what was coming after her resurrection. She's

[flake_sake]

Very cool ficlet! Loved how you caught, how messed up Buffy and Spike's thing in S6 is. How he jsut wants to make it better, to make her feel alive. And she does but in the end through pain.

[clawofcat]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it. They are a truly tragic pair in this ficlet. Spike has good intentions, but he's incredibly ill-equipped to know how to help her. Buffy's ability to connect with the world seems to only be effective if it's mediated through the tactile - pain being a big component of that. It seems so counter-intuitive though. She escapes the pain through pain? Wtf, Buffy?

[playfuldancer]

Wow, beautifully done as usual.

Now the question is will it hurt Spike to give her what she's asking for?

I must admit the Heimlich part made me giggle, but that's only because of Eddie Izzard :P

[clawofcat]

Now the question is will it hurt Spike to give her what she's asking for?
Well, we know that he has the ability to her hurt. So, the chip certainly won't go off. If you're asking if hurting her will hurt him emotionally, than the answer is probably. Still, when you're the one dishing out the pain, you have the control. I'm unclear here myself is Buffy's wants to truly be hurt or if she craves an S&M type of scenario that's painful, but that she ultimately derives some sexual pleasure from. If that's the case and doesn't want just a beating (which I don't think Spike would agree to), Spike's probably got a fair amount of experience in the pleasure/pain department. Spending a century with Dru must have given him quite a few skills. In which case, Spike is the best partner to give Buffy what she thinks she wants.

I must admit the Heimlich part made me giggle, but that's only because of Eddie Izzard :P
I'm not familiar with what routine of his has the Heimlich. Is there a link from youtube you could direct me to that maybe has his stand

[playfuldancer]

K, so I was refering to the emotional aspect and I get that he's most likely a master at it, but with Dru is was fun with pain and I'm getting that Buffy wants to be punished and maybe not so much in the fun way?!

Ok here's the Eddie Heimlich clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgedQnlqkno

Very fun :D

[miss_faith_hope]

Huzzahs! I love how dark and alluring, the relationship between Spike and Buffy was. Just all the darkness, the pain, just to try to forget everything. Its just so unbelievably smoking hot. Its like Buffy burns for him..and can't stay away and vice versa.

God, when is the last time I wrote fanfic..in quite a while..

[clawofcat]

I love Spuffy's dark allure, as well. As a fan of angst, they really are a great couple to tackle. The possibilities are endless. The hot-factor certainly doesn't hurt either ;)

Thanks for reading and commenting!