#smurfdemon

spike  did  not  hesitate  to  shoot  her  a  sarcastic  remark  in  response  to  her  first  words,  ❝  yes,  i'd  think  so.  you  are  walkin'  'round  in  the  bird's  body,  aren't  you?  i'd  say  that  makes  you  more  responsible  than  anyone  ❞  he  stated  firmly  and  confidently.  but  then  she  turns  to  face  him  and  her  cold  eyes  cause  the  vampire  to  freeze  in  the  seat  he  sat  in.  he  swallowed  thickly  and  stayed  quiet  while  she  continued  to  point  out  plain,  simple  facts  that  he  never  thought  about  until  now.  on  some  level,  a  level  he  didn't  want  to  admit  out  loud  (  let  alone  himself  ),  he  knew  she  was  right,  at  the  very  least  partially.  charles,  himself,  angel,  even  the  ex-watcher  ...  they  were  all  to  blame  for  something  when  it  came  to  fred's  death  and  possession  from  illyria.  everything  happens  for  a  reason   —   spike  knew  that  better  than  most  people,  living  or  dead.  he  stood  up  abruptly  when  she  finished  and  threw  the  remote  controller  onto  the  sofa  next  to  her,  pointing  his  index  finger  at  her  again,  ❝  her  name  was  fred  ❞  he  stated  angrily,  eyes  flared  with  vex.  ❝  you  think  you're  tired  from  hearin'  how  you  ruined  our  lives?  imagine  how  tiresome  it  must  be  to  hear  'bout  the  almighty  smurf  demon  who  can't  even  beat  a  bloody  turtle  on  the  bloody  video  game  !!  ❞  he  finished,  exclaiming  and  tossing  an  empty  beer  bottle  from  the  coffee  table  to  the  wall  behind  the  television,  smashing  it  into  pieces.  he  stood  with  his  back  turned  to  her,  forcing  himself  to  find  some  composure.  ❝  no  matter  which  way  you  slice  it,  luv,  no  matter  who  you  try  t'  blame,  it  is  still  her  face  you're  wearin'  ❞  he  finally  said  softly,  looking  over  his  shoulder  to  peer  at  her.  ❝  why  else  do  y'think  headboy  can't  stand  lookin'  at  you?  ❞

her  words  were  exactly  what  the  former  watcher  had  expected  to  hear  from  her.  he  couldn't  tell  if  she  genuinely  meant  it  or  if  it  was  deflection.  he's  seen  her  experience  a  small  semblance  of  emotions  before,  was  this  one  of  those  times?  ❝  if  you  don't  wish  anything  from  me,  then  why  question  the  silence  between  us?  does  silence  make  you  uncomfortable,  illyria?  ❞  he  asked,  taking  a  sip  from  his  hot  coffee  before  placing  the  mug  back  down.  he  brings  his  hands  down  onto  his  lap,  sitting  comfortably  in  his  seat,  ❝  m'  aware  and  m'  pleased  you  decided  to  join  me  on  my  expedition.  your  assistance  will  be  the  most  helpful,  ❞  he  told  her.  her  threat  didn't  instill  fear  within  him.  he  was  accustomed  to  the  way  she  threw  all  sorts  of  violent  threats  his  way,  so  another  one  wasn't  going  to  cause  him  to  shake  in  his  boots.  a  small,  sarcastic  smirk  briefly  appears  on  his  lips  but  quickly  fades,  still  avoiding  eye  contact  with  her  completely,  just  glancing  every  few  seconds.  ❝  yes,  well,  m'  sure.  but,  if  you  truly  wanted  to  end  my  existence,  you  would've  done  so  by  now.  let's  remained  focus  on  the  task  at  hand,  shall  we?  ❞  he  replied,  not  batting  an  eye.  he  wasn't  afraid  of  her,  there  was  no  reason  to  be.  they  needed  each  other  ...  not  that  he'd  ever  admit  that  out  loud.

"Oh, damn it. Illyria, what could be so important that you pushed me out before I got my Ben and Jerry's?"

THAT'S WHY HE NEEDED SOME PRIVATE AND ALONE TIME TO HIMSELF IN HIS APARTMENT PROVIDED BY WOLFRAM AND HART. it was a small and dingy apartment and he admitted that but he never complained. he was just thankful he had his own space away from angel, the goodie goodies, and that blue-stained freak. he wasn't used to his new life yet and that much was obvious. he had just gotten out of the shower when he walked into the living room and immediately was startled by @smurfdemon 's uninvited presence. “ ahhh !! aye !! you can't jus' go bargin' into a fella's place of domicile whenever you damn well please. it's called privacy and i have a right to 't, ya know ? i don't know how they did things in your town, pet, but 'round here we bleedin' knock !! ” he said, clearly not amused by this surprise visit.

HE DROVE DOWN THE SEEMINGLY ENDLESS DARK ROAD IN THE MIDDLE OF NIGHT WITH HOURS AHEAD OF THEM. their ride had been mostly quiet but that was pretty typical from wesley's end. he didn't have much to say to her except questions about where she came from which is what he'd like to limit their conversation to as much as possible. anything else just reminded him of his beloved. it was obvious that wesley was growing tired; every now and then his eyes would shut but only for a brief moment and he adjusted himself frequently to keep his body moving and mind awake. he spotted a coffee shop that was open in one of the nearby exists and he points briefly to signal to her, “ i must grab a coffee ” he told her, taking the exit and once arriving, parking. he led her inside where he ordered his black coffee and found a table for them to rest at. she might not need it but he sure did. he avoided eye contact with @smurfdemon, hoping she wouldn't notice or shine a light on that. he just wanted this trip to be as minimal contact as possible.