Prompt 106 - The Cure - BtVS

[thismaz]

Ravish, as a prompt, was begging for sex - yes, I do tend towards the obvious, why do you ask? *g*- but I can't do PWP in 1,500, or even 3,500 words so that meant going back to an established relationship.

In Observations, Spike and Xander got together. In Road Trip they rescued Riley from a vampire blood house and dumped him on Angel. At the end of Road Trip they got a letter from Angel. This is how Angel came to write that letter.


Title: The Cure
Fandom: BtVS
Prompt: 106 - Ravish
At: tamingthemuse
Rating: NC17
Summary: A one off story set in the Observations 'verse
Pairing: Angel/Riley
Word Count: 3,375
Comments: Are greatly appreciated, loved and cherished.
Disclaimer: here.



The Cure

Angel's pen hovered over the paper in front of him and he hesitated as he reread the final clause. This would seal his last deal with the town. If he put his pen to this contract, he would be agreeing to stay in Fairclough for the foreseeable future. The youngest of the bite addicts was still only twenty-three. She would live for decades yet and there was no guarantee she could ever be weaned off. The others... it might work with them, they'd come to hate their lives during their time with Venetia, and having their contracts back removed one aspect of the compulsion.

But Mary Jo had only been in the house for a couple of months and Venetia had kept her for herself during that time, enjoying the power the bond gave her as she built the dependency. Mary Jo hadn't had time to experience the pain of having her single bond broken into fragments by being given to other vampires. Plus, according to Riley, she was developing a crush on Angel, to replace the one she'd had for Venetia.

From his seat at the desk Angel looked across the room at the young man lying stretched out on the bed, flat on his front. He allowed his eyes to follow the line of the broad shoulders, over the defined muscles in his back, to his trim waist and the firm curve of his buttocks, down the length of his thighs and calves to his feet, then up again coming to rest, finally, on the tousle of dirty fair hair. If anyone could understand Mary Jo, it would be Riley, who had endured five years in this house. Endured and survived.

On impulse Angel reached out and pulled the box of heavy, loose-leaf, deckle edged writing paper towards him. He'd inherited the fancy notepaper along with the desk, the bed, the whole damned house, from Venetia when he ousted her from her den, but he'd not had any need to use it before. Who would he write to? Not Buffy, who might have understood his story but would never forgive him for its content, and there was no one else who was still alive. A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. No one alive, but he really should write and thank his grandchilde for his thoughtful gift. It would irritate Spike to hear that Angel was grateful, since he just knew that was the last thing Spike had intended when he unloaded Riley on him. It wasn't what Angel had intended either, but it had happened - Riley was his in a way that Buffy had never been. Perhaps only Dru had belonged to him as completely as Riley did, but that was not a train of thought that Angel was prepared to follow. Instead he returned to studying the young man in his bed.

The first week after Spike and Xander left Riley with him in LA had been bad for Riley. He'd fought his craving, but he'd been determined to resent the world in general and Angel in particular for the need to do so.

After the first night, when Angel explained the plan for his rehabilitation to him, he'd spent every daytime hour out of the hotel, in the city, although what he found to do with no money and no car Angel wasn't sure, and every night hiding in his room. He'd raided Angel's bookshelves and eaten the food Angel supplied but Angel never saw him. During the next four days it was only the periodic need to buy more milk, steak and eggs that confirmed for him that Riley was still in the hotel.

It wasn't until day five that Angel actually saw him again and then he'd almost tripped over him. It was just after sunset and Riley was hunched over on the ground just outside the door to the courtyard, shaking. He hadn't responded when Angel tried to get him to stand up and go out into the city with him to find a vampire. He flinched from Angel's touch and shook his head wildly, even though Angel promised to stand guard and make sure he was safe. Eventually Angel withdrew, sitting on the stairs inside, watching Riley through the glass doors, ready to follow if he tried to go in search of a customer alone.

They stayed like that all night and as the sun rose Riley uncurled himself from the floor and half crawled, half staggered indoors and up to his room, passing Angel's seat without looking at him.

The next day Angel was ready. He got up early and went to Riley's room to make sure the man was still there. Riley was lying on his bed, not asleep, just staring at the ceiling, but he sat up when Angel entered. For a moment Angel thought he was going to be sensible, but when his eyes settled on Angel's face, his expression shifted to something Angel couldn't read and he jumped to his feet screaming at Angel to get out. Angel did so, hearing the key turn in the lock behind him. That had been another long night - standing vigil outside the door in case Riley tried to leave. Every attempt to talk failed and Angel was loath to kick the door in and force himself on the man.

Shifting in his chair Angel stared down at the contract in front of him, the words burring before his unfocused eyes as he remembered what happened the next day - the turning point in Riley's recovery.

Angel was still asleep when the soft click of his door opening penetrated his confused dreams and roused him to semi-wakefulness. Raising himself onto one elbow Angel watched Riley enter and hesitantly scan the room before fixing his eyes on the bed and slowly walking towards it. He was dressed in nothing but a pair of sweats and he looked drawn and gaunt. When he got to a spot about three feet from the bed he sank to his knees and lowered his head to the floor.

The shock brought Angel to full wakefulness and he sat up. Remembering the arrogant young soldier who'd stood so rigidly to attention in Buffy's dorm room, determined not to leave while Angel was there on his turf, a part of him responded to this demonstration of defeat with gloating triumph even as his more rational mind was shaking its head in pity.

Dragging the sheet securely around his waist he swung his legs off the bed and twisted so he was sitting on the edge. "Get up!" he ordered sharply. "You don't have to kneel to me!"

Riley raised his head and sat back on his feet. He was shaking and his face was white, but it was set in the same expression of mulish determination that Angel remembered from seven years before. "I can't..." he muttered. "I need..." He trailed off, apparently unable to voice his craving.

Angel had never had much truck with bite whores, but he'd seen other vampires who kept stables and he'd seen the effect of withdrawal on humans who were being punished through denial. He was willing to bet that Riley had never tried to last so long before. "I'll get dressed," he said. Looking down at Riley he smiled, adding, "I'm impressed. Seven days, I never thought you'd last this long." Standing up, he walked past Riley to his closet and opened the door, grabbing the first pair of trousers and shirt he saw. Holding them in one hand and the sheet in the other he looked over at Riley again. "We'll go out and I'll keep watch, when we find someone to bite you."

Riley stood up too and turned around. "No!" he said. Angel frowned. "I won't be a whore any more," Riley explained. "I don't want any dirty assignations in alleys with you as my pimp."

The words cut and Angel's immediate impulse was to lash back with some equally hurtful response, but the sudden realisation of what Riley meant stopped him. The trousers and shirt fell to the floor as he brought his hand up to his head and ran it back over his hair. "Do you know what you are asking of me?" he gasped.

His mouth compressing into a tight line, Riley nodded. "Yes. I know." He took a step towards Angel and his face relaxed, allowing the pain to show again. "You agreed," he added.

"I agreed to look after you," Angel corrected.

"I don't need looking after!"

"Yes you do!"

Riley took another step and he was so close, his bare chest only inches from Angel's. They were of a height and Riley looked straight into Angel's eyes as he tilted his head. "So look after me," he whispered.

Whether he would really have pushed the young man away, Angel didn't know. He told himself that was what he meant to do when he allowed the sheet to fall into a puddle of silk at his feet and raised his arms. What actually happened was that as his finger tips touched Riley's skin any intention to shove was transformed into a grasp and a moment later he found himself pulling Riley towards him, his hands firmly gripping Riley's sides. Riley's own arms circled Angel, his hands flat against Angel's back as he hugged him in return and he tilted his head a little further.

Angel wasn't aware of his face changing, of his fangs dropping and piercing skin and muscle, but the sensation of blood, warm and vital flowing over his tongue sent his senses spiralling in a wordless roar - a whirlwind that took hold of his conscious mind and flung it away like so much chaff. His arms slid around Riley's ribs, trapping Riley's own arms and his fingers curled, clutching at the smooth muscle of Riley's back. Riley moaned and seemed to melt into Angel's hold, pressing his entire body against Angel. The soft cotton of his sweat pants brushed against Angels legs and groin and Riley pressed his hips forward.

It had been so long since Angel had drunk from the source, from a living, breathing human donor that he'd almost forgotten how overwhelming it could be. He felt himself harden and dimly he was aware that Riley's cock was responding in kind. The sense of absorbing life into himself spread warmth though his dead veins, along his arms and down his spine into his groin. He pressed his hips forward, feeling Riley press back and their cocks rubbed together through the cloth of Riley's pants. Angel's hands slid down Riley's back, pushed under the waistband and he gripped Riley's butt, forcing him closer and the blood still flowed. Every inch of Angel's skin was tingling with sensation causing tremors of pleasure to explode in his brain. He began to nurse at the source, prolonging the experience by slowing the feed. One of Riley's hands worked its way up his back and into his hair, forcing his head closer into the crook of Riley's neck, the other circled his back, holding Angel tight against him. Their hips pressed firmly together and Riley shifted slightly and started humping against him, moaning almost continuously, wordless sounds of need and want. Angel closed his eyes and lost himself in the energy and the power and the feeling of stolen life consuming him.

Then Riley's entire body shuddered and Angel felt a warm wetness against his hip and Riley gasped a final, quiet "Ahhh," before he collapsed against Angel and Angel found that he was holding the man upright on his own.

A tickle at the back of Angel's brain pulled him into to full awareness of his surroundings and he suddenly realised his position. He relaxed his grip and eased back, releasing the boy's neck. He pricked his tongue with one sharp incisor and allowed some of his blood to close the wounds he'd made. Bringing his hands up he gripped Riley's arms to provide support in case Riley looked like he was going to fall. Even knowing that he couldn't kill the boy, he feared that he might have left him too weak to stand.

Hands still firm on Riley's upper arms, Angel eased the man away from him. "I'm sorry," he said.

Riley looked up at him from under eyelids that looked like they simply wanted to close against the world, but Angels saw the flash of something in them before he lowered his gaze and stepped back and pulled away from him. His voice was flat when he asked, "You're sorry?"

"Yes. I'm sorry. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Riley took another shaky step backwards to stand on his own. "Yeah. Sure. I understand." He kept his eyes fixed on the ground between them. "I'm sorry too," he said.

Angel considered the man before him. "No you're not," he stated. "But I am. I could have taken too much."

Riley's head shot up, his eyes wide with surprise and Angel almost laughed. "You couldn't have taken too much," Riley stated with certainty. "I know how it works. You can't kill a willing donor."

Angel nodded his agreement. "But I could have taken enough to weaken you, beyond what you could recover from."

"And that's what you're sorry for?"

There was a note of almost pathetic hope in Riley's voice, that Angel somehow managed not to react to. The man had enough to cope with, without fearing that Angel also despised him for it. Instead he changed the subject. "How about you stop hiding now and behave like a civilised person instead?" he suggested.

Looking slightly shamefaced and slightly amused, Riley asked, "Why are you putting up with me?"

With a shrug, Angel answered with the truth. "Because you need help and it is what I do."

That was apparently the wrong answer, or Riley's amusement had really been self mockery, because he was suddenly angry. "You self-righteous, smug... bastard! You dress it up with fancy words, but you're just a vampire who bites."

"And you're an addict who needs to be bitten!" Angel shot back. He took a deep, steadying breath as he considered Riley's face and his voice softened. "But there's no 'just' about you."

Looking thoughtful, Riley nodded, as if agreeing, but Angel didn't think it was in response to what he had himself just said. "Buffy," Riley stated.

"What?"

Looking embarrassed all over again, Riley mumbled, "Are you doing this for Buffy?"

That came so far from left field that Angel just stared at him for a moment. Stepping over to him Angel ran the back of his hand down Riley's cheek. "No," he said firmly. "Buffy and I are long over. We had something, seven years and a dozen lost lives ago - one of them hers." Riley looked up, obviously surprised. "She died," Angel explained. "She came back. She's dating a lawyer. She's different and so am I." Reaching down he picked up the discarded trousers and pulled them on. As he fastened the zip he glanced back up at Riley "I had friends," he said. "I think it was the first time I've ever had friends. They died in an alley. People often die in alleys in my experience." He smiled grimly. "Buffy is not part of this. Not to me."

"But the last time we met...?"

Angel smiled, realising that this was the first real conversation they'd ever had. "The only time we met."

Riley shrugged. "I was jealous."

"Of me?"

"Yes."

It should have been funny, but it wasn't. "You were jealous, when you were the one with Buffy?"

With an expression of mild distaste Riley picked at the front of his pants, pulling the damp cloth away from the skin beneath. Then he looked up. "But you were her first." He looked away, around the room, avoiding Angel's eyes. "Then Dracula came to town and he bit her and..."

Angel stepped up to him again and cupped his cheek. "This," he waved his arm vaguely around the room, "is just you and me. No one else."

And that was that. That was the beginning. The beginning of Angel and Riley and Riley's recovery. Angel glanced down at the pen in his hand and placed it carefully on the desk next to the contract.

After the first time, Angel's response to biting Riley was never so out of control, there was never a fear he would take too much. But the other, the excitement, the arousal, the sex, that never changed. After the third time, Angel knew he was as much of an addict as ever Riley was and for Riley the exclusive bond removed the pain and replaced it with more than just momentary pleasure.

After a month, when they'd managed to build Riley's strength and fitness back up, they'd headed to Fairclough and taken Venetia out. Angel had gained a great deal of satisfaction from staking her. He'd do the same for any vampire he met who had ever caused Riley a moment of distress. In the process, he'd inherited Venetia's house and business.

With a twisted grin, Angel considered the fact that that had been the start of his current problems. The townsfolk had not been as happy as the inmates to discover that the madam of their local bloodhouse had been deposed. Angel had found himself grateful for his year at Wolfram & Hart as he dealt with the legal tangle Venetia left behind. And very grateful for Riley's army training when it came to organising the town against the claimants who tried to take over from her.

Now, after three weeks of steady fighting, physical and legal, the town was almost at peace. The blood whores were gradually being weaned away from their craving, under Riley's eternally watchful eye, and there hadn't been a serious challenger to his title from the vampire community for over a week. Maybe he should invite his grandchilde down for a visit, see if he couldn't get some help with the weaning? Maybe Mary Jo would shift her affections again?

Angel grinned at the thought as his eyes strayed back to the bed. That butt was just begging to be stroked. He pushed his chair back from the desk. He'd write to Spike tomorrow, right now he wanted to bury himself in Riley's heat. He had an itch to scratch and once he woke Riley up, he knew that Riley would enjoy the scratching as much as he did.

*****

It was a week later that Riley walked into their room, frowning.

Angel looked up from his papers. "What's wrong?"

Riley shrugged. "When you wrote to Spike and Xander, you gave them our email address." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, you know I did."

"Hmm. But I didn't see the letter."

Something in his tone set off Angel's alarm bells. "And?" he asked.

"And apparently you told Spike that I seduced you?" Angel sat back and watched him approach. "And," Riley continued, his voice light, but also serious. "You apparently told him that you ravish me regularly."

Angel spluttered, "What? No! I didn't say anything like that." He stopped when Riley burst out laughing. Taking a deep breath to steady himself he explained, "I said you were well and I may have mentioned that we were together." Riley raised an eyebrow, a habit Angel was convinced he'd copied from Spike. "I thought it would annoy him," he admitted.

"Did you now?" Riley asked, a smirk beginning to form. "And what would he say if he knew that it was me doing the ravishing, as often as you?"

Angel smirked back at him. "If he had any sense, he'd not say a thing. But since that's too much to hope for, he'd probably ask for a demonstration." A thought occurred to him. "Did Spike say if they were coming to visit?" he asked.

Riley's smirk became a full on grin. "No, but in case they do, maybe I should make sure I can manage that show. What do you say?" Walking over to Angel's side, he held out his hand.

Angel took it and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet.

Comments

[sparrow2000.livejournal.com]

Yay, you did it! That was just lovely and it was great to see Riley doing stuff on his terms after the state he'd been in at Venetia's place.

I also really liked Riley's reaction to Angel saying 'sorry' after the bite and sex -knowing Angel's big built in guiltometer, it would easy for Riley to misinterpret what the apology was for.

Now you know you're going to have to write the scene where Spike and Xander visit, just so that Riley can put on the show *g*

Lovely snapshot, hon.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I did it. I quite enjoyed doing it too, although Observations is a story that went through many drafts, while this is more immediate, so I'm not sure I'll do it again. *g*
Poor Riley was so very broken in Road Trip, it was quite strange writing this version of him again.
knowing Angel's big built in guiltometer
That's an interesting thought, but you're right - Riley's knowledge of Angel, in canon, came from Xander, so Riley's impressions of Angel would be highly coloured.
Hmmm... Spike and Xander's visit? *g* I'll think about it.
Thanks hon.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

That is a believable Angel/Riley. I think after getting addicted to the bite, Riley would have pretty much fallen for anyone, but if he really knew Angel... Angel's desire to to the right thing and make a difference... I think he could really fall for Angel.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

I think they're believable in context of the action and back story of Road Trip. I'm not so sure about otherwise. *g*
Riley was just doing what Spike suggested, when they dropped him off *g* You're right - he was so desperate for a single relationship, I think he would have fallen for anyone.
Thanks.

[lit-gal.livejournal.com]

I often wonder how Riley handled withdrawal from the bite. They really did suggest first in Buffy and later in Angel that it's as bad as a drug.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that was one of my starting points for the whole Road Trip scenario. In canon we just see him go off, then come back later happily married and apparently fine. I couldn't see him getting free so easily. I don't think it was portrayed as being as addictive as magic, but there was a definite element of 'the spiral downwards' in the whole blood house concept, wasn't there.

[texanfan.livejournal.com]

Spike gave Angel a very excellent present. Left to his own devices Angel can't help brooding. Give him someone to care for who has the ability to prod him along and he's as close to happy as he dare get.

I enjoyed this little revisit to the road trip.

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

*laughs* Didn't he just. Poor Angel, sitting in the dark, brooding on his lost friends. Spike and Xander did him a huge favour. Plus, post sleeping with Darla/Dream confrontation in Faith's company/Nina, Angel's soul was secure. It was his heart that was suffering and Riley provided the perfect cure for that.
Thank you hon. I'm glad you enjoyed.

[smwright.livejournal.com]

Well, I'm late to the table again by almost two months! I am here though. *sighs*

I did not know I had this treat awaiting me. :) Superbly done and quite believably played between the two of them.

and there was no one else who was still alive This bleak little statement in the narrative jumped out at me. It's just the sort of thing that makes me want to know everything, despite the fact that I think I already do. :) Does that make any sense at all? It's Angel's POV, I guess, that I want now.

People often die in alleys in my experience. Funny this. I want to say it puts me in mind of some author, but then I can not think who. No matter; it's a beautiful sentence.

This is a treat, as I said. I enjoy the way this fits with the larger world you've constructed but at the same time is almost entirely complete on its own... though how you manage to allow Angel/Riley to be snide and conniving re: Spike and still redemptive re: the addicts is beyond me! *g*

[thismaz.livejournal.com]

Wow, you've been busy.
quite believably played between the two of them.
Possibly, but only as a sequel to Road Trip, I think.
*grins widely* Thank you for the lovely comment.