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Bloody typical! Send Spike out to save Angel from the big bad Grugglock clan! He won’t have anything else on. Missing bloomin’ Passions just cause Gigantic Forehead can’t figure out when some bint is past saving.
Apparently the joint Angel got stuck in, had been after this ‘Savannah’ chick for sometime, the girl havin’ the ability to read minds and all, course Angel being Angel wanted her to put that to use at a nobler cause than just directing bimbos at fellas as distraction ,whilst the club steals their credit card information or whatever else it is they find useful.
Still, the job had some perks, there being a reason Fred hadn’t voted Wesley or Charles to go in his place, the protection marking engraved onto the his favourite boots supplied by the Watcher, supposedly allowing him ‘truth of sight’, meaning that the enchantments inflicted upon entry to most patrons of the classy establishment mixed with his vampire senses kept him safe from bewitchment, because, and here’s the best bit the joint - Zanzibar - had sirens! Their mojo able to turn the likes of Charlie boy and the Breathing Textbook TM into lovesick losers, unable to affect him, still having never seen a siren in all his years, Spike was more than curious to see just how they fared.
That and Angel falling prey to being a little damsel in distress in need of a hefty rescue whilst Spike saved the day, claiming all the glory for himself , while the supposed Dark Avenger brooded in a corner, stewing in his Catholic guilt about where it was he got trapped, on top of who his saviour was, Cor it was gonna be delicious rubbing that in his face!
Still gotta find the fella first. Where the bleedin’ hell could he be? How hard was it to spot a looming, brooding disaster on the verge of fanging some Grugglock neck?
LA and Zanzibar were all just lucky that the amount of spell work done here clouded people and vampires up so much, that all feelings of true happiness were prevented, or else they’d all be fucked with a capital F.
Making his way towards the bar, Spike finally spots Angel, him being pulled along by hand into one of those private rooms, his expression one as if this was the best day of his life ,his eyes completely glazed. Great, lug spotted , now to follow and retrieve.
Never one to shy away from a dramatic entrance ,the bleached vamp enters via a swift kicking down of the door, axe high and mighty (and Angel’s) prepared to cause some serious Grugglock harm!
Except- except- That’s him? That’s him right?
…What the actual fuck?
There right in front of him, before his very eyes, sat a very bewildered and out of it Angel, in the middle of receiving a lap dance from a very almost naked Spike, whose own jaw was hanging open equally in shock , reflecting his own face back at him. Nobody moving an inch.
“Angel?” Spike questions, more as a confirmation that it’s actually him and not some weird fever dream of which he’s bound to soon to wake up. Admittedly not able to look Angel in the eye for a day or two, at his brain having come up with this ,but otherwise good enough.
Angel merely blinks up at him in response, as if he were a bright light he couldn’t quite make out. Lost as to where he was, and to what he was doing, revealed as such as stretches of a surprised smile unfold onto his face, bordering almost on fond.
“Spike!”, he grinned cheerily, his apparent greatest wish of their being two of him coming true. “I missed you!”, he declares, pointing at him then grabbing for his hand swaying it back and forth.
The other him sits up, face morphing into that of a short scraggly brunet, swiftly making his way off of Angel and around Spike, throwing a thin pink robe around himself ,muttering to himself something about ,”Too weird for me, man.” Spike being left to simply squint at the supposed siren in confusion ,watching as he disappears down the corridor he’d just stormed through.
This couldn’t be right.
“Angel, wha-” Spike starts. Him talking, apparently, is hilarious to the still sat vampire, him dissolving into an array of giggles.
“Spike!” he returns popping the K between his lips, watching his hand move in the unfocused lighting shining down on the pair.
This is umm. Okay, so the fella’s plastered plastered. That’s reassuring at least. No awkward explanations or questions until after that’s dealt with . He’s far too out of it to know what he was doing, or seeing, Spike being able to smell the alcohol on his breath from where he stood.
“Angel, we’re going now.” Spike tries, crouching down to his height.
“Hmmm?”
“Angel, we’re-”
Giggles again interrupt him. This time paired with pointing at Spike whilst he does so.
“Do you see how serious your face is?”, he questions finger waging in front of him. “Things must really be bad if you’re all serious, because you see, you are, you are’ he gestures at him ‘I, I… I feel all swirly right now Spike.” He states his train of thought lost mid sentence yet his hands flapping about, as though reaffirming his point.
“I bet you do.” He mumbles , hand resting on the table as means of stabilising himself for a minute, the other scrunching his face.
Angel had seen the siren as him, Angel, whom he had spent decades wreaking havoc and torching villages with, who’d found him passed out in an alley the other day and then carried him back to his flat. Angel who’d used to torture Spike as a Fledgling as a means of ‘Properly educating the boy of his Sirage, Darla’ and brood more than he’d smile. The vampire who’d take in lost folk like bloomin’ abandoned strays, and who’d grin like the gigantic dork he is in the presence of loud, obnoxious hockey games, Angel who danced like he’d been electrocuted and had begun hiding genuine smiles in response to Spike’s jokes into his arm, who fought with him side by side almost as often, as they did against the other. That Angel had seen him, Spike, in siren form.
The same Angel whose fingers were now tracing gently across his lips. “I always liked these y’know?”, he says. It was no question, merely Angel stating a fact about his thoughts for the blondes mouth, eyes unmoving, his face so close he could feel Angel’s unnaturally warm breath fanning across his face. “You have a pretty mouth,” he confirms dragging his thumb across his teeth.
“Yeah.” Spike responds around Angel’s hand, nodding slightly and tilting his head, unblinking in staring back into the vampires earnest brown eyes, briefly considering, at the back of his mind, if the bewitchment spell had worn off, feeling so lost as to how he’d ended up here.
At that, Angel smiles softly, shifting away as if the two had just promised each other something, something that only Spike could miss.
“I like this place, Spike!’ he says stretching out across the booth, head leant back examining the ceiling above him. “Lets stay! You can try one of those pink blossom flower thingies, they are really good!,’ he instructs laughing loudly, gesturing to litter of abandoned lotus flowers discarded about the room, the same ones that had been handed out in the bar and entrance, “And I don’t even eat!’ he exclaims, “Only had one because Savanah gave it to me, she said I should try one before I go, she’s smArt!”
“Yeah, I imagine she was pretty smart, tricking you, you big Oaf. Inhaling all ah’ those bloomin’…”, Spike considers that for a moment ,“Angel, when was the last time you fed?”
“Hmmmm , I don’ recall.” He responds poorly attempting to mimic Spike’s accent causing the blonde to roll his eyes. His voice raising at the end, as Angel considered it was such a silly question to have been asked whilst he was here having the time of his life perfectly content lounging about in this bar, “Ummm Zanzibarr,’ he affirms to himself.
‘’Have’ only been here an’ hour though’.
“Angel,’ Spike says all serious like, trying to get the darker vampire to focus, ‘You’ve been here all night.”
“Oh, hmmm,’ Angel considers, “That’s weird. Doesn’t feel like it.”
“Do you uhhh, remember anything about being here?”
Angel closes his eyes, scrunching is features, as if trying really hard to focus on what Spike had just said.
“You were here,’ he says pointing forward, eyes still shut , ‘You came an’ found me after Cordy left, she-She was here for a bit but then I got upset because- because she’s not, here anymore,’ he retells a hurt look visible in his eyes. ‘An’ so you came and found me an’ told me we’d have fun together,’ he says returning to his previous cheer, grinning up at Spike like he’d rescued him from scorching daylight. ‘An’ we danced for a while , then-’ , Angel hiccups, ‘ Then, you wanted to know about the Marakeahll Jem but, I wasn’t supposed to talk people about that,’ he whispers pronouncing Marackle Jem in a way that would have Wesley wincing, ‘But then you asked me about the flute people would have to play to get in, so I told ya’ about the records, and about how to get to them ,and then you were really happy’ he smiles gleefully, ‘You were wearing this little gold piece-”
“Okay, Angel yeah, I-I get the gist,’ Spike laments, sweeping his hand across his face both at the loss of information and the retelling of the end of Angel’s night.
Angel frowns disappointed , “I was gonna undo the strap with my teeth and we were gonna-”
“Jesus Angel , bloody hell ,Okay!” ,
“But then you came an’ interrupted us, with my Axe.” He says sulking, smoothing his hand over the length of the blade. Great, glad to know somethings are still priority for him.
“Right, well, we have to go now, Angel.”
“Hmmm… don’t really wanna.”Angel pouts, laying down across where he sat.
“Yeah, well uhh life’s tough,’ he remarks sweeping Angels feet back onto the ground, then attempting to swing the larger vampires arm across his shoulder, “You gotta help me here, man.”
Angel huffs but relents, ultimately giving in, attempting to walk with Spike, wobbling as he does so.
Upon exiting, the cold early morning air surrounds the pair , allowing Spike to recollect his bearings. Right, now to update the Watcher, Sure he’ll be thrilled with the whoever finding out about the flute of Marackle , but Hey, at least its good ol’ Angel Investigations that have the nifty information as to how to use it for once …well until the next break in that is.
Balancing Angel on his shoulder, he rings the Watcher, Wesley picking up upon the second ring, questioning immediately, “Spike, do you have Angel? Is he all right?”
Christ, Spike needs to get himself a little fan club half as dedicated to him as the one Angel has managed to scrounge up for himself.
“Uhhh, Yeah, yeah, fella’s doing alright. Bit tipsy and umm spell ridden but other than that we’re fine and dandy over here. Just the tricky little detail of Angel running of and spilling the beans to one of the-uhhh…”
Spike pauses, shifting Angel on his back “The uhh Siren’s ,who works there, the details about the Marahckle ,watchamuhcallit flute thing,”
“Blast! Okay, you and Angel make your way back to the hotel as soon as possible. Me, Fred and Gunn will look into what we can do to reduce the damage. Who might be interested, when they might strike , that sort of thing.”
“Sure thing, Boy Scout see ya in ten.”
“I’m not a Boy Sco-”
Upon hanging up, Angel shifts a little where he stands. His shirt, Spike notices, is unbuttoned even more so than usual, the taller vampires face buried in the crook of his neck. Moving back a couple steps, Spike leans him carefully against the wall, redoing his shirt and drawing his coat around the larger mans shoulders, causing him to stir. Angel blinking up at him.
“Spike.”
“Hmmm”
“Always liked you,” he mumbles softly against his neck from where he’s leant over.
Spike stops for a moment.
“What?”, he questions, pausing in what he’s doing, sure he couldn’t have heard the taller vampire right.
“You’ve got a pretty mouth and you’re all funny and brave and sexy. And you’re kind to people when it matters,” Spike just blinks back at him not quite believing what he’s hearing.
‘But, you hate me so…”, Angel frowns upset by the thought, causing Spike to frown in tow, carefully searching Angels face, for what he’s not sure.