Phone | Private to Buffy Summers

[bigbad]

[Shortly after Spike does ~SOMETHING SECRETIVE~ with Lan, he decides it's been way too long since he talked to Buffy. It's been.... several days. Which is way too many, by his reckoning. So he calls her up.

He can't help but sound pleased when she picks up. It's been a pretty good day. Sort of.]

Hello, love. How's Chicago?

Comments

[slay]

Not like that. [ there's an evasive sort of smile in her voice, because she appreciates him saying so all the same. ] Dumage was in the café too. I bet she'd like going back. [ because girls like dumage are girls spike likes. and buffy is in no way bitter or jealous as she says that. ] I'm sure she owns plenty of leather.

[bigbad]

[Well... Spike also does like Dumage, he supposes. And she probably does own leather.

But wait.]

Dumage crashed your date?

[slay]

What? [ oh. right. ] It wasn't -- It wasn't like that. [ primarily because rafael is in love with somebody else otherwise yeah she totally would have called it a date because uguuu and also famous. ]

More like ... we crashed hers. I crashed hers. Rafael didn't really know that -- I spotted her from the canal. And ... maybekindofstalkedher. A little. [ huff. ] She was supposed to be helping with the mission! And instead she was just ... hanging out, chatting up some ... I think it was, like, her sister.

Did you know she has a sister?

[bigbad]

[...that's a lot of information. That mostly just leads to YAY NOT A DATE and Spike's heart warming up to Buffy even more because she's cute when she's a stalker. Well, more she's cute when she's defensive about stalking. IF BUFFY AND SPIKE BOTH REMEMBERED THEIR HISTORIES THEY'D KNOW HOW LITTLE SPIKE CAN THROW STONES ABOUT STALKING.]

No, she never said. And she didn't mention it? [That's weird. He's pretty sure they're allowed to visit family, if they have any. Why would Dumage hide it?]

[slay]

Nu-uh. Never said that's where she went after, either. She was being totally shady about it. And bailing on the mission-help, and seriously, if this is what she's been doing the whole time, no wonder Wynn was like hey, let's fire them. Maybe if all our knights were actually working the mission-- [ she stops. because spike likes dumage and she's pretty sure that qualifes as like-likes and so she feels the need to add. ] Sorry. We may have entered venting.

[bigbad]

[They're not fired. But that's another conversation for not over the phone. He wishes he could tell her. But he'll just sit on it for now.]

It's all right. I don't mind the venting. Even if I personally don't think the mission thing's Dumage's fault. [But that is weird. Maybe he'll ask her about it someday. Subtly.] Guess you never told her you were spying, huh?

[slay]

Not exactly. [ beat. ] Do you think I'm a total creep?

[bigbad]

Course not. [He pauses.] Well, not a total creep. Just a little one.

[slay]

Hey! Who's little? [ it's said with an edge of teasing, and her smile reflects in her voice. she dismisses it though. w/e. dumage drama aside. ] What are you doing right now, anyway? Isn't it like crazy late there? [ duh vampire. ]

[bigbad]

Yeah. Lan held our meeting at night, when I wouldn't fry. Which would've been nicer if he hadn't also beaten me half to death when he was testing me. So I'm lying here and waiting for my cuts and bruises to heal.

[slay]

[ there's an audible cringe at that. ] That bad, huh? You should have hit the med -- ... Oh. Right. [ herpderp vampire. ] Wish there was something I could do.

[bigbad]

You're helping. [He smiles a little, glancing up at the ceiling.]

[slay]

But hey, promotion. Are you totally sitting around wearing the plate mail to remind yourself why the beating was worth it?

[bigbad]

[He gives a chuckle.] Nope. Though considering how Lan killed my jacket... maybe I ought to. [There has to be SOMEONE in the castle who can magically heal leather. Right? Or maybe he has to wait until it magically heals like it does sometimes because it's the BEST JACKET.]

[slay]

Please tell me you don't mean that one you stole from Nightscape. You're still wearing that?

[bigbad]

Well. Not right now. [But yes. Usually.]

[slay]

Uh-huh. Sure. [ there's an air of teasing, but silence lapses after. she lays in it for a long moment, only the sound of her breathing catching in the receiver. which usually isn't actually so bad if you're, say, a 15-year-old girl, but spike doesn't actually breathe so she doesn't have the comforting sound on the other end to remind her he's still there. so she checks the connection briefly by pulling the phone away from her ear, then puts it back and speaks up. ] I'm glad you called.

[bigbad]

[That makes him smile. A real, pleased smile that he doesn't usually let show. But there's no one to see, so it's okay.] Me too. I've missed you. Not the same, having you gone.

[slay]

[ that gets a laugh out of her. ]

It's only been like a week! You make it sound like they shipped us off to boarding school. [ even though it's a shared sentiment shhh her manly pride. ]

[bigbad]

Yeah, but a long week. And you took most of the people I like with you. All I had left was Martha. [Though Kat, Gar, and Dumage are back now, at least. He still misses Myri and Buffy the most.]

[slay]

[ oh. so it was really an "i missed you plural as in everyone on the italy squad" not an "I missed you, buffy." she shifts. ]

Oh. Right, yeah. I'm sure they ... they all missed you, too. [ herpderp what are feelings. she rolls onto her side and reaches out to fidget with the bed linens because for a minute there, it felt like he was actually there instead of just talking. she sighs. ]

We'll probably be back tomorrow.

[bigbad]

[Oh. That was... almost a moment. But not quite. Why is everything so difficult with her? He missed her. More than anyone else.]

Good. I.... it'll be nice to see your face.

[slay]

Hasn't changed all that much. [ but there's a quiet smile there all the same. ]

[bigbad]

Well, that's all right. I like it the way it is. [A beat and a wince as he touches his own face, which isn't exactly pristine and unmarked from his fight.] Can't say the same for my face. But it'll heal.

[slay]

Too bad Myri's magic can't help you. Girl's a lifesaver. I got shot -- again, I know, bad habit to make -- and it's like it never even happened. Not even a scar. [ she pulls at her pajama shorts, reaching down with both hands to check out the place on her thigh where the bullet had hit, holding the phone between her shoulder and ear. ]