"Yeah. Buffy just wants me to go in case she can't talk Angel into it, which is immensely flattering. No idea what I'd even do there." Dance, he supposed, but it wasn't as if he really liked dancing the way the people at school did. But Buffy was his friend and he knew what it'd mean for her to have no one or, at least, as she put it, no one decent. Nicolas might not be in with the popular kids, but that was more his lack of interest in them rather than anything else. The only popular people he talked to were Cordelia and Spike, both for obvious reasons.
But he was in a band, French, good-looking and with an accent, of course he was an acceptable partner. "Things not going so well with Harmony?"
"Oh God, not that ponce. Take her, for the love of all things holy, take her and make that wanker jealous. Maybe he'll finally back off." He was creepy and now he was going to live with Buffy, he kept hovering near him whenever he was trying to talk to her. What a freak. Buffy had the oddest taste in men. There was a slight frown at the last comment and he huffed in disbelief, shaking his head because everyone always fell into this trap.
"No, they're really not, mostly because I'm not dating her, I never agreed to date her and we have never been on anything that could be considered a date and yet everyone keeps telling me I'm dating her." Spike had lunch with her once and played a song at the Bronze that people misread as being about her and suddenly, here he was, maybe dating her. "It's too awkward to tell her we're not dating so I'm waiting for the summer holidays to dump her. I'm hoping that'll give her time to cool off, accept it wasn't a thing and won't cause me too much drama."
"...so, you're a boyfriend without benefits? That's a shit deal." Nicolas paused as they exited the graveyard, adjusting his crossbow so he could hide it halfway under his coat. No need to alert people more than necessary. He took up walking again, still with an arm around Spike. "You do know that Buffy is dating 'that ponce', whether I go to a dance with her or not. She's not really interested in me that way."
He thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "Not anymore, at least." Hey, there had been a few memorable occasions initially, but they were much better off the way they were now.
"I'm not even that. I'm the bloke who has to run away from her every time she appears. The last school dance, I only got out of seeing her because our band played. She's just a clingy stalker." She wasn't a lover, he had no affection for her but she was always nice to him so he tried not to be a total dick to her, she always had his back, that felt nice sometimes. "And don't tell me, I already know. He turned up at one of the family dinners to steal Buffy away for a vampire thing recently, he used such a lame excuse, I thought it was like code for shagging. Apparently not."
Gripping Nicolas a little tighter, Spike headed along after Nicki, making sure his stake was out of sight. "So you and here didn't work out? Did Captain Forehead get in your way or what?"
"Huh." Nicolas didn't know what to think. Everyone always assumed that Spike and Harmony were a thing. Whatever, it wasn't really any of his business. "At least you seem to like how she kisses. Or is that how you shut her up?" He snorted, then felt just a little bit bad about it and cleared his throat. "Sorry. I'm sure she's nice."
He glanced side-ways at Spike and considered before he answered. "Not really, no. Angel was already in the picture when I came into town. I actually think she wanted to use me to make him jealous."
"It's how I shut her up, she's really not that good at it." Spike shrugged, she wasn't the worst he'd ever kissed but he really wished she'd kiss for less time and wouldn't ram her tongue down his throat but that was just Harmony. She always went full on and he didn't really bother to slow her down. "She's not really my type. She can't sing, she'd not bright and she thought 'the sex pistols' was the name of a porn." All of which made her very compatible. She was no part of his music, she was annoying to be around and she kept calling him blondie bear.
"I can see why she'd use a bloke like you to make Angel jealous, you're a handsome bastard." What? He was. Nicki was always handsome, it was just a fact.
"Yeah, I just figured you were one of those guys who's not really looking for companionship. And she's popular, she's pretty, she clearly adores you, not the worst deal." Not something he'd ever want for himself, but that would be why Spike could happily date someone he wasn't even dating and make out with them and Nicolas was essentially doomed to be single. He didn't mind that much, he didn't think he was ready to date again. Not just yet. Maybe never. Who knew?
"It worked too. Angel came to tell me to back off. Mind you, he just sounded as if he was hitting on me, but I figured out his intention eventually."
"Nah, fuck that. Look, if I'm going to date, I'm not going to half arse it. Love is love, mate, no way around it. If I fall for someone, I give it my all. If it's some crazy bint who thinks I belong with her, I might humour her but she's not the one and I won't pretend to be in love to humour her. I'm happy enough avoiding her and pretending I don't see her." Spike had several weak moments where he debated shagging her or using her to look cool but he always ended up too annoyed to keep going. He wouldn't mind if it was just a mutual one night stand but she really thought they had something special and he didn't fancy encouraging that.
"He doesn't seem to get how to talk to people. How old is he anyway?" Spike was guessing old. Like proper old. No one who looks his age would ever speak that way unless they were very screwed up or oddly raised.
"Yeah. I guess with what you've going with her, you have to be careful that you don't end up using her." It still seemed iffy to him, but he supposed he could see why Spike wouldn't want to end it. Being with Harmony had it's upsides, that much was for certain. And breaking up with her could have exactly the opposite effect.
"Angel's over two-hundred and fifty years, going on three hundred. But he's just not much of a people person, if you ask me, I've met older vampires who were more with the time. Also more with the murder and violence though, so Angel is still preferable." Credit where credit was due.
"I won't. Like I said, I'll tell her in the holidays." Spike didn't really benefit from it, he just had her annoying friends talking to him and he couldn't ever get a date, he just couldn't dump her when he knew she'd cry every time she saw him for about a month. At least in the summer holidays, that was less likely. He was hoping she'd return post-dumping more angry than upset. He could deal with that, that was more normal. Crying was something he hated, he never knew how to deal.
"He's a weird bastard but as long as he stays away from me, I don't care." Spike came to a halt near his place and fumbled around for his key, finally finding it in his back pocket. He passed it over to Nicki and frowned a little. "Can you open the door, I can't focus on detail right now."
"You should probably just sleep," Nicolas said as he unlocked the door, turning back toward Spike with a frown. His eyes looked focused enough, so he doubted he had a concussion, but there was some dried blood on his forehead still and for all he knew shock might still set in. Nicolas reached out to steady him as he moved him inside the house, letting Spike lead the way once he closed the door quietly behind them. No need to wake Giles. "Let me get you into bed."
"What?" Well, this night was taking a weird turn. Oh, wait, no, second language and all that. Spike snorted in amusement and laughed quietly, giving Nicolas an amused look. "You have no idea how that sounded but yeah, fine, I need to sleep this off. You can come pack tomorrow instead." He would have to get it all done by then, he was sure he could bug Nicolas into doing it with him. It saved him a lot of effort and it also gave him chance to pre-pack personal items.
They moved up the stairs and finally into Spike's bedroom. His room was very plain still, he hadn't really decorated, the only sign that he lived here was that his stuff was all over the floor and his guitar was on the bed. He gently moved the instrument out of the way and kicked off his docs before he flopped on the bed, still fully clothed. "Cheers for the help tonight, means a lot that you didn't just leave me to die."
"Oh. Yes, no, that's not what I meant to say." Nicolas blushing was something that happened about once in a blue moon and even now he made sure not to draw attention to it, clearing his throat and walking up the stairs. He watched as Spike spread out on his bed, arching his eyebrows. "You're welcome. Letting people die isn't in the job description."
Nicolas sat down on the ground and reached for the guitar, starting to quietly strum the chords. He played a short tune, focused on his fingers. "I can wait until you've fallen asleep, if you want." Just in case shock might finally kick in.
"What? Oh yeah, if you fancy it," Spike found that as soon as he'd hit the bed, all his energy left his body and all it wanted to do was rest. He closed his eyes and yawned, unable to believe he had the prime chance to be with Nicolas and instead of taking that chance, he was dozing off. God, maybe it was shock? He was so exhausted now, he could barely stay awake. "I don't think it'll take long, my brain is shutting down."
"Relax." Nicolas said nothing else, instead he quietly sat by Spike's bedside, strumming the guitar for quite a while, even after Spike had fallen asleep. Finally he got up, put the guitar off to the side and left the house. Could have gone worse, this night. Could also have gone better, admittedly, but at least Spike hadn't cried.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 07:49 pm (UTC)But he was in a band, French, good-looking and with an accent, of course he was an acceptable partner. "Things not going so well with Harmony?"
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 07:54 pm (UTC)"No, they're really not, mostly because I'm not dating her, I never agreed to date her and we have never been on anything that could be considered a date and yet everyone keeps telling me I'm dating her." Spike had lunch with her once and played a song at the Bronze that people misread as being about her and suddenly, here he was, maybe dating her. "It's too awkward to tell her we're not dating so I'm waiting for the summer holidays to dump her. I'm hoping that'll give her time to cool off, accept it wasn't a thing and won't cause me too much drama."
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 07:58 pm (UTC)He thought about that for a moment, then shrugged. "Not anymore, at least." Hey, there had been a few memorable occasions initially, but they were much better off the way they were now.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:03 pm (UTC)Gripping Nicolas a little tighter, Spike headed along after Nicki, making sure his stake was out of sight. "So you and here didn't work out? Did Captain Forehead get in your way or what?"
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:08 pm (UTC)He glanced side-ways at Spike and considered before he answered. "Not really, no. Angel was already in the picture when I came into town. I actually think she wanted to use me to make him jealous."
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:13 pm (UTC)"I can see why she'd use a bloke like you to make Angel jealous, you're a handsome bastard." What? He was. Nicki was always handsome, it was just a fact.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:18 pm (UTC)"It worked too. Angel came to tell me to back off. Mind you, he just sounded as if he was hitting on me, but I figured out his intention eventually."
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:23 pm (UTC)"He doesn't seem to get how to talk to people. How old is he anyway?" Spike was guessing old. Like proper old. No one who looks his age would ever speak that way unless they were very screwed up or oddly raised.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:29 pm (UTC)"Angel's over two-hundred and fifty years, going on three hundred. But he's just not much of a people person, if you ask me, I've met older vampires who were more with the time. Also more with the murder and violence though, so Angel is still preferable." Credit where credit was due.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:36 pm (UTC)"He's a weird bastard but as long as he stays away from me, I don't care." Spike came to a halt near his place and fumbled around for his key, finally finding it in his back pocket. He passed it over to Nicki and frowned a little. "Can you open the door, I can't focus on detail right now."
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:39 pm (UTC)No, he wasn't aware how he sounded here.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:44 pm (UTC)They moved up the stairs and finally into Spike's bedroom. His room was very plain still, he hadn't really decorated, the only sign that he lived here was that his stuff was all over the floor and his guitar was on the bed. He gently moved the instrument out of the way and kicked off his docs before he flopped on the bed, still fully clothed. "Cheers for the help tonight, means a lot that you didn't just leave me to die."
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:49 pm (UTC)Nicolas sat down on the ground and reached for the guitar, starting to quietly strum the chords. He played a short tune, focused on his fingers. "I can wait until you've fallen asleep, if you want." Just in case shock might finally kick in.
no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2016-01-27 08:58 pm (UTC)