Buffy the Vampire Slayer Preferences + imagines/one shots

Spike Imagine - Hands

Being a slayer is a raw deal. You don't get paid for a job you're forced to do, you're always tired and battered from patrolling and it's incredibly hard work to try and maintain a social life (or so I've heard). I just feel really bad for Buffy sometimes. As her friend, I want to help her out and I think beating the crap out of vampires is the best way to do that. Lessens the workload, right?

So, Wednesdays and Thursdays are when I patrol. It's quite fun if I'm honest. It's thrilling. 

"Hey, you know if you eat this late, you're gonna get heartburn!" I yell, thrusting the stake into a vampire's chest. Yes, I know that's Buffy's line, but I've always wanted to say it.

I smile to myself, trying to come up with any of my own witty one-liners. "Did someone order a stake sandwich?" I try out, practicing my best badass voice. I sigh.

"No. You look much more delicious." 

I turn with a massive smirk on my face. "Hello, William."

"Evenin'." he replies, walking up to me, leather duster swooshing in the autumnal breeze. "How's it going?"

"Good. I'm on a winning streak - killed five vamps and haven't been knocked down once."

He sucks his teeth, "Way to tempt fate, love." He leans back against a sturdy, tall tree, observing me carefully. "Oh, look. Let's see you eat your words." He nods his head to a fast approaching vampire who is a foot taller than me and baring its pointy fangs.

"Ain't you a looker?" I comment, dodging at the pathetic attempt of a punch. He tries again, lightly grazing my cheek. I ram my fist into his nose and he staggers backwards, stunned. I leap forward, kicking the sucker in his crotch, before using his moment of hesitation to drill the stake into his heart. My hand stings from that punch, but I ignore it. 

"That was pretty impressive," Spike calls from behind me, "See how you fair with her though!"

"What?" I shout but then I'm kicked powerfully in the back. I fall for the first time today, my arms reacting just quick enough to soften the impact. I get up and a tall, beautiful vampire is glaring down at me. I smile at her - it's refreshing to see a vampire that's face doesn't look like it's been hit by a truck. 

Before I can conjure up a one-liner, or a pick up line, I'm blocking her relentless and powerful advances. 

I kick her and she stumbles so I attack - I punch her face until my knuckles rip and bleed, until I've weakened her enough to stake her.

I hear a slow clap and see Spike with a smirk plastered across his face. "Not bad." 

I look down at my hands and they're a blur of red. I'm a bit embarrassed for getting so carried away, and now I'm paying the price of throbbing knuckles. 

"Hey," he says more softly, "You okay, pet?" 

I snap my head up. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Ok," he drops it, and I can tell by the glint in his eyes that he's got an idea.

"What?" I deadpan. 

"Fancy a cuppa? It's gone midnight, your shift's over, right?"

I smile - who could say no to a hot tea after being out in the cold for hours? Also, I actually enjoy spending time with the vampire. I nod and follow him across the cemetery, to his crypt. He opens the door and I'm pleasantly surprised by the warm air that greets me.

"How the hell do you have heating in here?"

"I'll never tell." he says irritatingly, and I stick out my tongue in his direction. I sit down in his kitchen while he boils some water and fetches two mugs. I pull my feet up on his dusty table, stretching out my sore muscles as I take a satisfying deep breath. 

"And how do you have electricity?" I ask, already knowing he won't give me an answer. As suspected, he only grins knowingly.

Fortunately, I know how to annoy him back. "William?"

His cocky smile falters for a second. It really gets under his skin when I call him anything other than Spike, but William is my personal favourite.

"Captain peroxide?"

"Shut up."

"Blondie bear?" I say sweetly, batting my eyelashes at him. 

"I can revoke your tea privileges."

"I'll behave." I beam. He's just too easy to aggravate.

A minute or two later, he hands me a steaming black mug which I accept with a muttered 'thanks'. He takes a seat opposite me and stares at me. 

"What's up?" I ask nervously. Spike drops his gaze to take a sip of his tea.

"Nothin'," he pauses before saying slowly, "Your hands..."

I look down to see that my cold hands wrapped around my cup only accentuate my bloody knuckles. Instinctively, I go to hide them, but he's already noticed.

He quirks up an eyebrow - "Do they usually get like that?"

"It's nothing. It's normal. It happens all the time," I dismiss, taking a sip of my drink to hopefully divert his attention. 

"Honestly. You and Buffy are so similar, you know." he sighs, getting up to rummage through his kitchen cupboards.

"How so?" 

"You both never ask for help." Spike brings over a bandage and demands for me to give me his hands with only a glare.

I sigh and he takes my hands in his surprisingly warm, large ones. Gently, ever so gently, he cleans away the blood and layers on the soft bandage. "You've got a serious issue with your pride." he says and I whack him in the shoulder. "Hey! I'm helping you!"

"I hate you," I grumble and snatch my hands away from his grasp. I run my fingers over the cloth which has spots of scarlet already seeping through. "Thanks though."

Spike gives me a quizzical look before silently returning his supplies to where they came from.

"What is it now?" I roll my eyes.

"I can not figure you out," he says, tone amused, "One second, it's like you actually want to hang, like you actually like me... and then the next... you look at me like you could stake me any second."

"Isn't that what keeps you intrigued?" I smirk, causing the vampire to smirk back. "What keeps you staring at me when you think I'm not looking? Why you always happen to be out in the graveyard on Wednesdays and Thursdays?"

Spike tries to get a word in, but I don't let him.

"You think I haven't noticed, Spikey?"

There's a long, tense pause until Spike says, looking down, "You think I'm pathetic."

"No," I instantly respond, "It's kind of cute."

Spike looks at me as if I must be lying. He looks too stunned to say anything, so I decide to bite the bullet and do what I've been considering for the past few months.

"Do you wanna go out sometime?"

Spike's mouth opens slightly before it morphs into a smirk. "You're asking me out?"

I shrug. "Well one of us was gonna do it."

"Yes. Meet me here tomorrow at eight."

I raise my eyebrows. "I'm not the only one whose been planning this."

"I suppose not," Spike licks his lips and I take another sip of my tea. By this point, it's gone kind of cold, so I take it as my sign to leave. 

"Goodbye, William the Bloody. I'll see you tomorrow."