thatotherperv

Title: I Burn
Author: Mel (

thatotherperv)
Pairing: Angel/Spike
Rating: NC-17
Summary: human AU. Spike is a pyromaniac, stalking a fire investigator named Angel. An improbable love story (to say the least).
Warnings: Angst, obviously, from the setup. D/s but not of the usual variety. It’s more…emotional D/s than lifestyle or kink (though there is *some* kink, there’s nothing extreme). Hard to explain, but you’ll see. characterization probably not to everyone's taste, but it all works out in the long run.
infinite thanks to

kitty_poker1 for being my second pair of eyes, giving me advice on plot, characterization, and the occasional spelling error. *squishes her*

Note: I accept concrit. but if you have something to discuss with me in need of improvement or clarification, you should bring that concern to me in this post or in email at thatotherperv@livejournal.com. it just makes my life easier to have it in one place.

“You breathe…I burn.”
—Toadies

Previous chapters here

Chapter 6

Liam rubbed his face sleepily against Will’s belly. His hair stood up in tufts, face flushed. Looked almost endearingly debauched as he watched Will, mouth still slick from the blowjob he’d just given

He’d rubbed himself off against the bed before Will could even touch him.

Christ, they were like a couple horny kids together. Hadn’t been farther than the kitchen in nearly three full days. He ached pleasantly all over, and the place was rank with the smell of sex, but Will loved it.

It was his secret fantasy that they could go on this way for eternity. Sure, the electric would get shut off eventually, but they could shag just as well in the dark…course, then the landlord would come knocking, and that might be more of a problem….

Liam seemed to be thinking along similar lines. He stretched and sighed, turning his face into the hand that was fluffing his hair. (All insistence that it be left perfectly coiffed had been abandoned during a particularly rough bout of horseplay-gone-foreplay. They’d called a hairspray amnesty).

Liam’s stretch collapsed with a groan. “I’m gonna have to go back to work or the chief’s gonna knock down my door. I’m scared to turn my phone back on…he’s gonna ream me for just disappearing.”

Will bit his tongue on the suggestion that he just didn’t. “Funny, I never imagined the fire department to be so kinky.” Liam smirked. “But yeah, me too. Bloke that owns the store will skin me alive if I call in sick again. Without even a hint of a cough.”

They grinned at each other, snickering over the recent dodging of responsibility.

Liam sighed. “Back to the real world.”

“Now now, no brooding, Liam.” He laughed at the distinct pout brought on by his teasing.

“You’d brood too. This case is impossible. Damn firebug.”

Humor fell away and Will paused, feeling an undeniable thrill at presenting Liam with that big of a challenge. “Impossible?”

“He breaks the mold. Tricky bastard.”

He tried to conceal his smug grin. “Is this our mansion-burning friend?”

“Yeah. Pain in my ass.”

“Sorry, luv.”

It was purposefully casual…the apology you gave when the circumstances were beyond your control.

That part wasn’t a lie, actually.

“Not your fault. But if I don’t catch this psychopath soon, every official in the city is gonna crawl up my ass and die there.”

Will tried not to flinch over ‘psychopath’…instead, he focused on the second half of the sentence. He made a face. “Lovely imagery.”

“Yeah, well….” Liam gave him a crooked, apologetic smile.

Something strange burned in Will’s chest. “Still, from what I’ve seen of him on the telly…he doesn’t seem like a complete nutter, yeah?”

Liam huffed a breath through his nose, eyes flickering in thought. “He’s smart. And he has more control over his disease than he should. But he’s mentally ill, Will. And he’s destroying people’s lives.”

He ignored the clench at the assessment of his condition. He knew it wasn’t normal…the impulses, the compulsion that led up to the striking of a match. He’d always been aware of that. But it felt good. Felt right. Who the bloody hell needed normal, anyway?

“I’m sure you’re right, pet, but I’m not sorry for what he’s doing.”

As soon as the words passed from his lips, he braced himself for a sharp, suspicious look. Instead, there was only askance. The kind that spoke of trust and respect. He found himself slightly flustered by the response.

“I…. They’re just living a bit to excess, don’t you think? No one needs all that. Almost…have it coming to them.”

Liam frowned slightly. “I don’t love it either, but they don’t deserve to have their entire life just ripped away from them. All of their possessions, all of their memories….”

Spike’s temper flared at the discussion of what they deserved but softened at the reminder of Liam’s own childhood. “Liam. Do you honestly think they didn’t break other people’s backs to get their 10,000 square feet? Those aren’t houses, mate, they’re solid cash, and I’m sure none of them are losing a damn thing anyway.”

“Yeah, they’re well insured. But they’ll never see their kids’ baby pictures again. Their family heirlooms.”

“You’ll have to excuse me if I don’t give a piss, yeah? Been the bloke they spit on for far too long. Spent a good part of my life homeless, so they don’t get my sympathy when they lose their mansions.”

There was a flicker of surprise, or maybe recognition, at the word ‘homeless.’ Will waited a moment longer for Liam to remark on the poverty of his own childhood—and when he didn’t, Will stifled the disappointment.

Liam spared him the awkward change of subject by dipping his head, scraping his teeth lightly over Will’s stomach…making him arch up with a sigh. He pressed his lips there for good measure.

“When can I see you again?”

Anytime you like, luv. How’s now until forever? “Dunno…reckon I’m working every night this week…until Saturday. That’s my next full day off.”

“Mmmm. It’s a date.” Liam crawled up his body, mouthing along Will’s throat till he bared it, turning his head aside.

Will bit his lip as Liam’s hips dropped against his own, cock stroking his. His breath was already ragged. “Thought it was time to face the real world.”

Rough hands slid up his arms until they pinned his elbows to the mattress. Liam’s face loomed over his, an inch from a kiss.

“You’re not going anywhere till I’m done with you.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Angel was hard-pressed to remember the last time he felt this good at the end of a weekend…or any other time, for that matter.

He watched Will wander restlessly around his room as he finished buttoning his own dress shirt. Now that they were dressed again, Will looked, ironically, more vulnerable than he had in days. Nervous. Over-compensating with a swagger. He wandered around touching Angel’s things, looking as though he badly wanted a cigarette. Refused to let his eyes wander Angel’s way, like he had bared his belly to Angel and now expected to be kicked there.

But then again…they’d been so utterly beyond pretense this weekend, and Will definitely hadn’t been the same guy he presented to the rest of the world. He’d been…softer.

A hand slipped towards a neglected cock, only to be caught at the last moment. Angel’s mouth brushed Will’s ear. “If you insist on being willful, I’m going to have to punish you.” Will’s chest hitched and his expression tensed, body caught in a prolonged shudder as he came.

Angel thought about what Will had said to him—that he wasn’t used to soft touches—and his gut tightened as he thought about all the ways someone could take advantage of a man like Will. It stirred up emotions—possessive emotions—that made him startlingly aware that he was already in over his head. This wasn’t just sex.

He’d already known that.

Will jolted a little nervously when Angel slid an arm around his waist from behind, pulling him back against his chest and hooking his chin over his shoulder. It gave him a front-row view of the way Will was intently rearranging the coins on his dresser.

“You know, I’m supposed to have lunch with some friends on Saturday. One of the guys from my old station, and his wife. Why don’t you come? You should meet them.”

Will stiffened and braced his hands on the dresser. He took a deep breath, body slowly going still and relaxed. When he looked over his shoulder he was smirking—the cool mask Angel had thought to be the real Will when he met him. His next words were a bit of a slap.

“Eager to show off the new toy, eh?”

It gave Angel pause…that Will felt the need to put up this front, now. He measured his words. “No. But I think my friends should meet my boyfriend.”

The word felt right when tested out loud. Will gave him a sharp look, caught off guard. “Would expect they wouldn’t take kindly to you rubbing their faces in it.”

Angel frowned. Rubbing their faces in it. “I wouldn’t call it that.”

Will looked away, and Angel let him go, one hand still on the back of his neck, encouraging Will to look at him. “Look, most of the guys aren’t comfortable with what I am. But that’s fine. Gunn has never been weird about it since I came out. You’ll like him.”

And he had a feeling Gunn would appreciate the flippant smart-ass in Will. Fred would want to coddle the rest of him. He knew his friends would take to this man.

Will shrugged off his hostility. “Yeah, luv. Sorry. I’m just…. Sounds great, I’d love to meet them.”

Angel gave him a squeeze and let his hand fall away, grabbing his car keys. “C’mon. I’ll drop you by Willy’s on my way to the office.”

“Shit! My bike. Three days! Probably been towed by now.”

Angel shrugged as he locked the front door behind them. “Doubt it. Whole city is one giant parking lot. People tend not to get worried before a week is up.”

Will was silent as they made their way down the stairs, but when they reached the bottom, Angel was surprised to be turned and pushed against the brick.

Will’s face was tense. His jaw flexed in indecision, brows drawn. “Week’s a long time.”

They regarded each other for a long moment, and Angel figured they’d left all discussion of city towing policy behind.

Will backed off and looked out towards the parking lot, drawing a cigarette from the pack and lighting it. Angel watched him, more than willing to wait for whatever it was he had to say. After a moment, clear blue eyes ticked back to his.

“What if I wanted to see you before Saturday?”

Angel’s boots scuffed against the cement as he pushed himself away from the brick. “I’d say, knock on my door tonight when your shift is over.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Thus endeth Part One: A Prayer in Every Spark
TBC in Part Two: Never So Alive

A/N: okay, folks, that's what I had written so far, haha. I'll need a bit of time to prepare Part Two...it needs writing all at once before I post, because the arc of that part is pretty damn pivotal. I have to get it right to pull this baby off. I thought I would have more of it done already, but then the Great Writer's Malaise hit and I've been dissatisfied with everything. this was written before my muse went all screwy.

Question. Nobody's said anything about this one way or the other to indicate to me how I'm doing with something I'm concerned about, so I'm just gonna ask. the Spike/Will thing. he does not have a split personality disorder. he's just compartmentalized his emotions, so to speak, and I think especially where Angel is concerned, he doesn't want to show him that "Spike" part of himself. well, he does, obviously, but he doesn't. he doesn't want to be that guy *with* him. I don't know if I'm making any sense at all. and I know compartmentalizing your emotions is sort of what MPD is in its extreme form, but he's still all one guy in there, just playing different roles. *holds head* if this makes sense to anyone, holler. if it doesn't, ignore me. if you thought he was all looney with two people in his head, lemme know.

(ETA: just like to clarify something that's come up in a couple comments. the pyromania is a mental illness, and Will *is* mentally ill in this way...when I say "if you thought he was all looney" that was me being hasty in saying, in case this looks like MPD)

ETA again: okay, it looks like it's not confusing and I was concerned over nothing. I am no longer in need of reassurance :)