The Touch of Humanity
Jun. 29th, 2020 11:44 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Main Points:
Buffy/Devil May Cry
Chapter Summary: Buffy and Xander evaluate the Fae leader's words.
Word Count: 642
Rating: Teen
“Eh, he would’ve refused me straight out if he’d thought so.” She continues to stare at him, so he waves it off. “Don’t worry about it. Worry about how we’re going to pull this off.” Sure, he’d heard of all the complicated divorce cases and whatnot, but hadn’t expected it to be anything other than straightforward for his own cases—and, until recently, he’d been right.
“You’re not confident?” She starts the car and starts to drive off. “I thought you were Face?”
He allows himself a smile in return, but that restless energy is back. “Well, the other half of this equation is if he’s lying.”
“You don’t think he’s lying.” He’s in a weird mood again, but then, he’s adjusting to working with others, and he doesn’t feel fully healed.
“And how do you know that?” he reponds, something sharp and dark underlying his words.
“I don’t think he’s lying.” Wait, it’s the devil thing, isn’t it? “You know, you’re not as inhuman as you like to think.”
He blinks, and the darkness in his eyes subsides, just a little, eyes returning to their usual color. “I…” For once, he’s at a loss for words, doesn’t have a glib response handy.
“You’re half-human, too.” She puts her eyes back on the road. Because she’s supposed to be showing him how to drive better, not worse. “You have a heart of a human and the strength of a demon. I know you, what I’ve seen of you, though I had better see a lot more of you because, buster, you better not be going anywhere.”
A quick glance over, and he’s smiling.
“You didn’t have to help people out with their problems. You didn’t even have to help Giles and I out. Given the way he’s behaved to you so far I wouldn’t blame you if you’d left at least him for dead, but you didn’t. You did the right thing because to you it matters. That doesn’t change because you get occasionally spiky.”
And just like that, he restless power is, well, not gone, but it doesn’t feel like he’s about to start bouncing off the walls any moment. Which is for the best. She doesn’t want to know what he’d do to the car.
“That’s what Willow meant,” he mutters to himself, then, louder, tired, “Thanks, Buff.”
“Look, you just learned about your past, so it might feel like this is something new, but it’s been there all along. You just didn’t know about it.” Because he really needs context. Perspective.
“I got it already.” But the tone is soft, grateful. “It’s easy to forget when all you’re doing is talking to demons, and fighting them, and not having a real connection with someone else. I wasn’t lying when I said you helped me keep in touch with my human side. All of you do. I didn’t realize I was, I dunno, losing my hold on it until you pointed out the difference, and then it was glaringly obvious.” He stretches out. “I dunno what we’ll be dealing with, but I wanna be ready whenever, and it’s the middle of the day so I think it’s nap time for me.” She thinks he’s already asleep when he adds sleepily, “Oh, yeah, know the timing sucks, but the power of a Slayer…feels demonic to me. Dunno what it means, but thought you should know.” He yawns. “Don’ wanna step on G-man’s toes, but ‘t’s your life, y’have a right to know.”
She swallows before she realizes he can probably hear her. Only one of them should be having an identity crisis at a time. “We’re investigators. We’ll figure it out.”
“Mmm.” This time it’s an agreement, and this time he drifts off for real.
Buffy/Devil May Cry
Chapter Summary: Buffy and Xander evaluate the Fae leader's words.
Word Count: 642
Rating: Teen
“Aren’t you, you know…asking too much?” Buffy asks quietly. Subdued is a weird look for her.
“Eh, he would’ve refused me straight out if he’d thought so.” She continues to stare at him, so he waves it off. “Don’t worry about it. Worry about how we’re going to pull this off.” Sure, he’d heard of all the complicated divorce cases and whatnot, but hadn’t expected it to be anything other than straightforward for his own cases—and, until recently, he’d been right.
“You’re not confident?” She starts the car and starts to drive off. “I thought you were Face?”
He allows himself a smile in return, but that restless energy is back. “Well, the other half of this equation is if he’s lying.”
“You don’t think he’s lying.” He’s in a weird mood again, but then, he’s adjusting to working with others, and he doesn’t feel fully healed.
“And how do you know that?” he reponds, something sharp and dark underlying his words.
“I don’t think he’s lying.” Wait, it’s the devil thing, isn’t it? “You know, you’re not as inhuman as you like to think.”
He blinks, and the darkness in his eyes subsides, just a little, eyes returning to their usual color. “I…” For once, he’s at a loss for words, doesn’t have a glib response handy.
“You’re half-human, too.” She puts her eyes back on the road. Because she’s supposed to be showing him how to drive better, not worse. “You have a heart of a human and the strength of a demon. I know you, what I’ve seen of you, though I had better see a lot more of you because, buster, you better not be going anywhere.”
A quick glance over, and he’s smiling.
“You didn’t have to help people out with their problems. You didn’t even have to help Giles and I out. Given the way he’s behaved to you so far I wouldn’t blame you if you’d left at least him for dead, but you didn’t. You did the right thing because to you it matters. That doesn’t change because you get occasionally spiky.”
And just like that, he restless power is, well, not gone, but it doesn’t feel like he’s about to start bouncing off the walls any moment. Which is for the best. She doesn’t want to know what he’d do to the car.
“That’s what Willow meant,” he mutters to himself, then, louder, tired, “Thanks, Buff.”
“Look, you just learned about your past, so it might feel like this is something new, but it’s been there all along. You just didn’t know about it.” Because he really needs context. Perspective.
“I got it already.” But the tone is soft, grateful. “It’s easy to forget when all you’re doing is talking to demons, and fighting them, and not having a real connection with someone else. I wasn’t lying when I said you helped me keep in touch with my human side. All of you do. I didn’t realize I was, I dunno, losing my hold on it until you pointed out the difference, and then it was glaringly obvious.” He stretches out. “I dunno what we’ll be dealing with, but I wanna be ready whenever, and it’s the middle of the day so I think it’s nap time for me.” She thinks he’s already asleep when he adds sleepily, “Oh, yeah, know the timing sucks, but the power of a Slayer…feels demonic to me. Dunno what it means, but thought you should know.” He yawns. “Don’ wanna step on G-man’s toes, but ‘t’s your life, y’have a right to know.”
She swallows before she realizes he can probably hear her. Only one of them should be having an identity crisis at a time. “We’re investigators. We’ll figure it out.”
“Mmm.” This time it’s an agreement, and this time he drifts off for real.