187 ficlet - History, Repeating
Sep. 15th, 2010 09:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deird1 posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
still_grrrTitle: History, Repeating
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
deird1
Rating: PG
Word Count: 440
Prompt: 187 (history)
Character: Pike
History, Repeating
It’s over eight years before he sees anything like it again.
He’s leaving work one night when suddenly there are three of them – ridged foreheads, yellow eyes – vampires, coming out of the alley opposite. And he’s instantly back in junior year, with killer quarterbacks, and danger, death, and burning school buildings, and one kickass chick.
Then the memories flash off, fade back to nothing, and it’s just him and three vampires… and, weirdly, the kickass chick.
She’s got red hair, though – not the same one. (Obviously not the same, idiot.) But she fights the same.
Kicks, flips, and punches, and then she’s elbowing one in the face while staking the other – but as he explodes into dust the third one grabs her stake, and suddenly it’s two on one and she’s out of weapons.
It might be eight years away, but it’s still automatic: he runs in to help, doesn’t even think. Pure muscle memory, or something.
And he’s ducking punches, blocking what he can, doesn’t really do damage, obviously – but he’s a distraction, and after a few moments he gets the chance to pass her, well, not much, it’s a pencil, but it’s all he’s got and at least it’s wood.
They end up standing there, out of breath, with dust slowly settling to the ground.
He grins and says, “Hi.”
“That was actually helpful,” the red-head says, like that’s unusual.
“What, that surprises you?”
“Yeah, kinda.” She shrugs, and retrieves her stake from the gutter. “Usually it’s a big handsome guy being chivalrous, and rescuing the helpless little girl from the bad guys. Then I just end up with extra people to keep safe.”
Apparently he’s not handsome. Good to know. “You’re the Slayer, right?”
“A Slayer.” She raises an eyebrow, speculatively. “Do you know one of the others?”
And she’s using present tense. Weird. “Yeah, I knew a Slayer when I was in high school.”
“But you don’t look…” She frowns. “Huh.”
Suddenly she’s looking at him like he’s from another planet, and he’s not sure why him having met the Slayer is stranger than whatever else she must be used to, but if someone doesn’t break the silence soon it’s going to get awkward.
He sticks out a hand. “I’m Pike. I’m a mechanic, and I suck at vampire hunting.”
She smiles uncertainly. “Vi.”
“Want to get a coffee, Vi?”
“Actually, I should probably…”
“Mocha? I promise not to be chivalrous. In fact, if we’re attacked, I’ll probably shriek like a girl and you can save me.”
Another smile – this one maybe a bit less uncertain. “Coffee. Sure.”
And that’s how the night begins.
Author:
deird1Rating: PG
Word Count: 440
Prompt: 187 (history)
Character: Pike
History, Repeating
It’s over eight years before he sees anything like it again.
He’s leaving work one night when suddenly there are three of them – ridged foreheads, yellow eyes – vampires, coming out of the alley opposite. And he’s instantly back in junior year, with killer quarterbacks, and danger, death, and burning school buildings, and one kickass chick.
Then the memories flash off, fade back to nothing, and it’s just him and three vampires… and, weirdly, the kickass chick.
She’s got red hair, though – not the same one. (Obviously not the same, idiot.) But she fights the same.
Kicks, flips, and punches, and then she’s elbowing one in the face while staking the other – but as he explodes into dust the third one grabs her stake, and suddenly it’s two on one and she’s out of weapons.
It might be eight years away, but it’s still automatic: he runs in to help, doesn’t even think. Pure muscle memory, or something.
And he’s ducking punches, blocking what he can, doesn’t really do damage, obviously – but he’s a distraction, and after a few moments he gets the chance to pass her, well, not much, it’s a pencil, but it’s all he’s got and at least it’s wood.
They end up standing there, out of breath, with dust slowly settling to the ground.
He grins and says, “Hi.”
“That was actually helpful,” the red-head says, like that’s unusual.
“What, that surprises you?”
“Yeah, kinda.” She shrugs, and retrieves her stake from the gutter. “Usually it’s a big handsome guy being chivalrous, and rescuing the helpless little girl from the bad guys. Then I just end up with extra people to keep safe.”
Apparently he’s not handsome. Good to know. “You’re the Slayer, right?”
“A Slayer.” She raises an eyebrow, speculatively. “Do you know one of the others?”
And she’s using present tense. Weird. “Yeah, I knew a Slayer when I was in high school.”
“But you don’t look…” She frowns. “Huh.”
Suddenly she’s looking at him like he’s from another planet, and he’s not sure why him having met the Slayer is stranger than whatever else she must be used to, but if someone doesn’t break the silence soon it’s going to get awkward.
He sticks out a hand. “I’m Pike. I’m a mechanic, and I suck at vampire hunting.”
She smiles uncertainly. “Vi.”
“Want to get a coffee, Vi?”
“Actually, I should probably…”
“Mocha? I promise not to be chivalrous. In fact, if we’re attacked, I’ll probably shriek like a girl and you can save me.”
Another smile – this one maybe a bit less uncertain. “Coffee. Sure.”
And that’s how the night begins.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 02:33 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 10:50 pm (UTC)(Given that I seem to have talked myself into a new ship, there could be more...)
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Date: 2010-09-15 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 02:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 10:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 03:33 am (UTC)Why is it that a guy offering to act the damsel is so disarming? Don't answer that! My own kink...
no subject
Date: 2010-09-15 10:51 pm (UTC)Certainly too old to have been at high school in the last two years, anyway... :)
Why is it that a guy offering to act the damsel is so disarming? Don't answer that! My own kink...
MINE TOO. *loves*
I'm glad you liked this!
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Date: 2010-09-15 10:51 pm (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-09-20 12:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 12:28 am (UTC)I've seen all of Buffy, and the movie- I think the movie pretty much sucked, but I LOVED Pike. And I LOVE YOU NOW.
*flails*
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 12:32 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 12:45 am (UTC)[And I can clearly hear Luke Perry here. heck, I can *see* him, flailing effectively away as a distraction.]
This is charming and marvelous. It also does a lovely job of blending the feel of film and show. I hope you end up writing some more with these two, but even if you don't, this slice of banter-y action is perfect.
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Date: 2010-09-20 12:51 am (UTC)no subject
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Date: 2010-09-20 02:39 am (UTC)Unrelated: loved your Italian Spike icon - just rewatched Angel Season 5 in 2 days, laughed and cried all over the place. Any desire to re-visit Spike/Angel bitching? Pretty please!
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 02:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 04:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 05:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 05:10 am (UTC)I kinda liked that she's surprised by how nonchalant he is. And he's cool and awesome about the whole thing,
no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 05:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 04:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 10:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-20 09:58 pm (UTC)I'm glad Katy (secondalto) recced this over on crack_van, or I might have missed it.
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Date: 2010-11-02 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-07-27 02:37 am (UTC)Loved this:
"Apparently he’s not handsome. Good to know. “You’re the Slayer, right?”
And this:
"He sticks out a hand. “I’m Pike. I’m a mechanic, and I suck at vampire hunting.”
I'm one of those strange fans who actually liked the movie, and you have captured Pike, and given him a little space in the verse. Nice.
no subject
Date: 2011-07-30 09:59 pm (UTC)