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tamingthemuseTitle: Burden
Series: The Dark Return
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Angel/Xander
Prompt: Albatross around his neck
Rating: Mature/Adults Only overall
Spoilers: AU after The Becoming, BtVS Season Two
Warnings: Bloodplay, D/s themes, dark!fic overall
Word Count: 763
This is the third part of a series I've been working on. Previous parts here. The other parts are The Dark'Verse and The Dark World. You should really read those before this or it won't make much sense.
Crossposting with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
tamingthemuse and _xangel.
Burden
Xander woke slowly, his arms sore from being pulled taut over his head. He groaned as he stretched, arching his back and fighting to loosen the tight muscles all over his body. As he twisted from side to side, he heard a soft moan followed by a familiar growl. A smirk spread across his face as he turned to face the vampire staring at him.
"What's the matter, Angel?" he practically purred.
"Shut up," Angel answered, his voice free of any venom. "I hate that I'm over here and can't touch you."
"I know.”
“I don't think we've gone this long without touching since you went on that crazy mission."
"You mean the crazy mission that gave us peace and brought us back here?"
Angel's eyes dropped on the dirty floor, avoiding Xander's gaze. "Brought us back here for what? To be chained up, away from each other?"
"Yeah."
Silence reigned between them in the cavernous mansion as they each sank into their own thoughts.
Finally, Xander asked, "Why do you think she did this?"
Angel stifled a short bark of laughter before looking at the boy watching him. "Let's see - she's a Slayer who sees a vampire growling at her while the friend she thought she sent to hell disarms her. You have to admit, that's a bit of a dilemma for a confused teenaged girl."
Xander sighed, frustrated. "But it's me. She has to know me."
"But she doesn't know you. Not anymore. Not like this."
Xander turned his head away, trying to hide the tears pricking at his eyes.
"But..."
"Xander," Angel interrupted, "She's just trying to do the right thing. Think of all the guilt she must feel right now. She thinks she sent you to hell. How would you feel with that kind of albatross around your neck?"
Xander sat quietly, processing the information for several moments before looking up, a mask of serious contemplation on his face. "Why would Buffy do that? I mean, seriously, I don't think she'd ever been into fur, but birds? Gross. And isn't that like the bird from The Rescuers? Wouldn't that be kinda heavy?"
Angel was chuckling and smiling at the ranting boy. "It's a very old saying, Xander. It means someone is carrying a very heavy burden."
"Oh. So I'm Buffy burden?"
Angel smiled sympathetically at the grief stricken boy. "I think we both are."
Xander moved to try and find a comfortable position despite the chains holding him upright.
Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by the sound of the heavy doors being forced open. At Angel's growl, Xander flinched before shooting a warning glance at the vampire. Slowly, Buffy peeked her head around the corner, tentatively checking on the two men waiting for her. Walking into the room, she slowly lowered a tub of red viscous fluid before kicking toward the snarling vampire. Then she turned and tossed a small brown bag toward Xander. He deftly caught it before tearing through the paper to get at the greasy deliciousness inside. He moaned at the taste of bread and meat and cheese and fried potatoes. Once he was done, he looked up to see Angel frowning at the plastic tub in his hands.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Pig," Angel growled.
Angel had survived the last several hundred years exclusively on Xander's blood. Pig was obviously a step down.
"Can you try?" Xander asked.
"You need to eat something," Buffy whispered, her voice soft and soothing as she approached the crouching vampire. "You must be as hungry as Xander."
"Buffy," Xander called warningly. "You might not want to do that."
"What?" she asked, turning her attention to the bound boy. "What Xander?"
Xander sighed, concentrating hard. "You might not want to do that?"
Buffy gasped, leaning in slowly. She'd obviously understood him that time. "Why not?"
Speaking slowly and carefully, he said, "He's not used to you. You hurt him."
Her eyes turned sad - or sadder - before she turned her head to look at the still snarling vampire. "I hurt him – because I'm the Slayer? More than hell?"
"We weren't in hell."
“What?” she gasped, tears filling her eyes.
Xander sighed softly before settling back and getting as comfortable as possible against the unforgiving stone wall. Slowly, he tried to tell her their story, occasionally slipping in and out of English, but doing the best he could, telling her about legends and prophecies and stone demons and Warrior gods and war and peace, trying to take away her burden and make it his own.
Tbc...
Series: The Dark Return
Fandom: BtVS
Pairing: Angel/Xander
Prompt: Albatross around his neck
Rating: Mature/Adults Only overall
Spoilers: AU after The Becoming, BtVS Season Two
Warnings: Bloodplay, D/s themes, dark!fic overall
Word Count: 763
This is the third part of a series I've been working on. Previous parts here. The other parts are The Dark'Verse and The Dark World. You should really read those before this or it won't make much sense.
Crossposting with
tamingthemuse and _xangel.Xander woke slowly, his arms sore from being pulled taut over his head. He groaned as he stretched, arching his back and fighting to loosen the tight muscles all over his body. As he twisted from side to side, he heard a soft moan followed by a familiar growl. A smirk spread across his face as he turned to face the vampire staring at him.
"What's the matter, Angel?" he practically purred.
"Shut up," Angel answered, his voice free of any venom. "I hate that I'm over here and can't touch you."
"I know.”
“I don't think we've gone this long without touching since you went on that crazy mission."
"You mean the crazy mission that gave us peace and brought us back here?"
Angel's eyes dropped on the dirty floor, avoiding Xander's gaze. "Brought us back here for what? To be chained up, away from each other?"
"Yeah."
Silence reigned between them in the cavernous mansion as they each sank into their own thoughts.
Finally, Xander asked, "Why do you think she did this?"
Angel stifled a short bark of laughter before looking at the boy watching him. "Let's see - she's a Slayer who sees a vampire growling at her while the friend she thought she sent to hell disarms her. You have to admit, that's a bit of a dilemma for a confused teenaged girl."
Xander sighed, frustrated. "But it's me. She has to know me."
"But she doesn't know you. Not anymore. Not like this."
Xander turned his head away, trying to hide the tears pricking at his eyes.
"But..."
"Xander," Angel interrupted, "She's just trying to do the right thing. Think of all the guilt she must feel right now. She thinks she sent you to hell. How would you feel with that kind of albatross around your neck?"
Xander sat quietly, processing the information for several moments before looking up, a mask of serious contemplation on his face. "Why would Buffy do that? I mean, seriously, I don't think she'd ever been into fur, but birds? Gross. And isn't that like the bird from The Rescuers? Wouldn't that be kinda heavy?"
Angel was chuckling and smiling at the ranting boy. "It's a very old saying, Xander. It means someone is carrying a very heavy burden."
"Oh. So I'm Buffy burden?"
Angel smiled sympathetically at the grief stricken boy. "I think we both are."
Xander moved to try and find a comfortable position despite the chains holding him upright.
Suddenly, the silence was interrupted by the sound of the heavy doors being forced open. At Angel's growl, Xander flinched before shooting a warning glance at the vampire. Slowly, Buffy peeked her head around the corner, tentatively checking on the two men waiting for her. Walking into the room, she slowly lowered a tub of red viscous fluid before kicking toward the snarling vampire. Then she turned and tossed a small brown bag toward Xander. He deftly caught it before tearing through the paper to get at the greasy deliciousness inside. He moaned at the taste of bread and meat and cheese and fried potatoes. Once he was done, he looked up to see Angel frowning at the plastic tub in his hands.
"What's the matter?" he asked.
"Pig," Angel growled.
Angel had survived the last several hundred years exclusively on Xander's blood. Pig was obviously a step down.
"Can you try?" Xander asked.
"You need to eat something," Buffy whispered, her voice soft and soothing as she approached the crouching vampire. "You must be as hungry as Xander."
"Buffy," Xander called warningly. "You might not want to do that."
"What?" she asked, turning her attention to the bound boy. "What Xander?"
Xander sighed, concentrating hard. "You might not want to do that?"
Buffy gasped, leaning in slowly. She'd obviously understood him that time. "Why not?"
Speaking slowly and carefully, he said, "He's not used to you. You hurt him."
Her eyes turned sad - or sadder - before she turned her head to look at the still snarling vampire. "I hurt him – because I'm the Slayer? More than hell?"
"We weren't in hell."
“What?” she gasped, tears filling her eyes.
Xander sighed softly before settling back and getting as comfortable as possible against the unforgiving stone wall. Slowly, he tried to tell her their story, occasionally slipping in and out of English, but doing the best he could, telling her about legends and prophecies and stone demons and Warrior gods and war and peace, trying to take away her burden and make it his own.
Tbc...
