Title: Smothering
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Author: veronyxk84
Characters/Pairing: Spuffy
Rating: PG-13
Length: 300 (Google Docs)
Content notes: mental health issues
Spoilers/Setting: Set in S6, at the beginning of ep. 6x05 “Life Serial,” after the opening scene (dinner with Dawn, Willow, Tara, and Giles)
Summary: Buffy feels overwhelmed by the circumstances
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction created for fun and no profit has been made. All rights belong to the respective owners.

Challenge: #435 - Amnesty + #404 - Screen
Also for: Prompt #14 - Overwhelmed by emotion100

—

Opening the door to his crypt, Spike saw Buffy sitting on his armchair, idly zapping through the TV channels.
“Please, come in. Make yourself at home,” he said, closing the door and taking his duster off.
“Where have you been?” she asked flatly, keeping her eyes fixed on the screen.
Spike arched a questioning eyebrow before answering, “Did a quick sweep of the cemeteries. Heard you were out of town.”
“I was. Now I’m back.”
“So, how’s the Big Forehead?” he asked, gauging her reaction.
Buffy shrugged. “You know. The usual.”
At that, Spike’s eyebrows shot up to his hairline.

He observed her blank stare with a deepening frown, before walking up to the TV set and pushing the off button.
“Hey! I was watching it!” protested Buffy.
“That’s usually more effective when you pick a channel and stop the bloody zapping,” he said, snatching the remote from her hand. “What did your holier-than-thou friends do now?”
“Why?”
“You always end up here when you can’t stand to be around ’em anymore.”
She shrugged. “The usual. They’re smothering me with their overwhelming need to help me fix my life. Which wouldn’t even need fixing if they’d just let me be.”

“If they’d let you be dead, you mean,” he murmured.
“I was done, Spike. I was free,” she said, turning a watery gaze on him. “And now I’m stuck in a permanent nightmare from which I cannot wake up, and… I wish I could run away from everything, but at the same time I’m just so tired… I’d settle for disappearing.”
Spike clicked his tongue. “S’pose that hiding in here is one way of doing that.”
“I—I don’t mean to intrude.”
He turned on the TV and gave her back the remote. “Stay as long as you want.”
“Thank you.”