School days [AU]

The party was picking up quickly, people all over getting wasted as time passed. That was when she bumped in to no other than Ethan Spencer himself. Ethan chuckled, placing his empty cup on an already filled table, looking the blonde up and down with a smirk. "Hello there blondie," he said with a flirty voice, but that didn't last long as he spotted Vanessa, running towards her and grabbing her by her waist. He pressed himself close, smiling as he was clearly drunk. "I've been looking all over for ya," he whispered almost longingly in her ear, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He started slowly kissing her neck, but there was something different about his movements than how he had looked with other girls. He was gentle, biting her gently in the neck. She could of course push him away, but he had a feeling she wouldn't. Buffy looked a bit worried at the two, but decided to move outside, catching some free air. She felt a little lightheaded, leaning against a chair as she was catching the cold wind in her lungs. That was when she spotted him, standing there, smoking a cigarette and she felt her stomach turn. Downing her drink she tossed the empty cup into a trash can, walking over to him and pulling him aside to a more silent place. "I need to talk to you," she said in a hushed voice, taking him around the side of the house. Suddenly she felt herself brave, felt like she could handle herself as she pointed at him. "You," she said in a demanding tone. "You better stop looking at me like that right now, or I'm gonna get really mad," she mumbled, blinking a few times as she took his cigarette, throwing it on the ground and stomping it out. She hated smoking, and it seemed like her drunken self hated it even more. "What is wrong with you?" she exclaimed, feeling frustrated. "Are you too stuck up to notice a plain Jane like me, is that it? Is it because I don't show my cleavage like all other chicks in our year?" she spewed out questions, demanding to know why he had not spoken a word to her since that day. "Is it because I'm not your type? Am I not clever enough or is it because I'm too clever?" she asked, feeling herself ramble on and on. She sighed as she clutched her hand into a fist, she was angry and frustrated - the worst part was his scent luring her in and beckoning her to touch him, and it made her core spin. She shook her head, taking a step away, she hated that he had taken so much place in her mind.

Ethan smiled against her skin as she seemed to enjoy it, biting down on her soft skin as he really just wanted to hold her close. When she grabbed him by the hair he looked a little confused at her first, trying to figure out what she was going to say before she said it. He chuckled at her question, leaning a little closer as if he was telling her a secret. "Clearly not enough to forget about you," he said in a sensual yet teasing tone. As she placed a hand against his cheek, he smiled a little, his eyes seeming to gleam a bit in the dark. Her thumb teasingly running across his lower lip made him separate his lips, sticking out his tongue, licking and sucking ever so gently on the tip of her thumb. "I guess it's my problem; I've been trying to avoid the inevitable, trying to get with other girls that looked just remotely like you - but there's a problem with that," Ethan said with a smirk, kissing her thumb almost tenderly. He leaned closer to her, resting his face against her cheek. "They're not you," he hummed sweetly. He wasn't afraid to touch her, placing his hands at her hips to pull her closer. "Just let me kiss you, let me touch you, please," he whispered against her ear, his lips moving down to her neck once more.

"Oh, so it is because I'm stupid - I clearly couldn't begin to fathom what reasons you might have," she said in a mocking tone. She looked at him, her cheeks flaring up because of her frustration. He leaned closer and for a second she felt her heart stop beating, his words leaving her speechless as she lunged out, grabbing his shirt. But it was like she couldn't hurt him. She couldn't hit him or hurt him physically like that. She kept clutching on to his shirt, kept looking at him as her knuckles turned white. Buffy knew she was drunk, she knew she was acting out, but she wanted him. She wanted what she could never have and it was hurting her deep down in her stomach. She finally let go of his shirt, shaking her head as she started walking off. She needed to forget him, she told herself over and over. She needed to find a distraction, and right now it was drinks and the dance floor. Every time she closed her eyes she saw his stern face, and it hurt once more, making her grab for another drink.

Hearing her moan made him growl lowly in return. It was true that Ethan was known to be a skirt chaser, hell the whole school knew, but Vanessa had caught his eyes more times than not. It always led back to her, he just knew it, and in his drunken state he couldn't keep away anymore. "Alright, if you're shy we can find somewhere else," he whispered against her skin, his fingers digging in to the side of her hips as he pressed her closer. He wanted her, and had wanted her for such a long time that his body still felt in disbelief as to this really happening. Leaning away from her neck, he smiled a brief devilish smile as he took her hand, guiding her through the house and up the stairs. He had been at Lana's house plenty of times, but they were just really good friends. He opened the door into a small bedroom, closing the door behind them and sitting down on the bed. He guided her to sit on his lap as he kissed her neck again, his hands grasping at her dress as he really just wanted to tear it off of her, however he didn't. If he really only had this one shot, he wasn't going to ruin it. "Let me hear you moan again," he pleaded, running one hand down to her behind, taking a first grasp of it. God, he wanted to make her squirm, make her realize that she was all he fantasized about. He could feel himself getting firm, but he was trying not to act on it, preferring to kiss and moan against her neck, as her skin was enough to drive him crazy.

Time didn't matter anymore, not when she was feeling like this. She recognized her study partner from history class as he approached, swinging an arm around her waist. She could've sworn that if she closed her eyes she could imagine it was Baal doing that. That it was the tall demon holding her close and not the shapeshifter. "Let me make you feel good," he whispered in her ear, but that took her out of her fantasy, shaking her head as she backed away. "No thanks, I - uhm - was just on my way to find the bathroom," she mumbled in a slur, moving up some stairs just to get away. What she didn't know was that her partner was following her, and when she stepped into the bathroom, he followed swiftly, locking the door behind her. "What's the matter? You came to see me right?" he said in a hushed voice, moving closer to Buffy as she was backed up against the sink. "Listen, Will, I'm not-," she said but was cut short as he grabbed a fist full of her hair, forcing her to her knees. "Come on, you want me," he said in a low voice, unzipping his pants, she could see the outline of something long and hard, making her swallow and shake her head. "I don't want this," she said, tears appearing in her eyes as she felt too drunk to do anything. "Please I don't, Will I don't want this!" she tried screaming, but she felt like her voice was too weak.

Had anything ever sounded as heavenly as her moaning? He felt more intoxicated by her sounds than by the alcohol, almost clawing at her as she jerked her hip forward. A soft moan left his lips as he just wanted her. Ethan had never been a possessive guy, he didn't care for his ex girlfriends trying to make him jealous, but with her it was different. Like she was pulling at all the right strings, using him as a mere puppet. Her whisper made him sigh against her neck, chuckling a bit. "Listen luv, I just wanted to make out wiv ya, yeah - I don't wanna mess this up, ya feel?" he said in a soft voice. He didn't really sound like the cocky Ethan that he usually presented as. He sounded more genuine as he spoke to her, placing more kisses over her neck, reaching upwards and kissing along her jaw. "But I bet I could make ya cum with just my pinkey right now," he whispered teasingly, however he was quite good with his hands. His other hand moved up to cup her face, looking in to her eyes he had never seen anything more beautiful than the faint blush over her cheeks and the way her eyes glowed like fire in the dim light. Had it been any other girl he would've just left if he hadn't gotten what he really wanted, but he couldn't act like Vanessa was just anyone. Then he heard the cry and stopped his movement as Vanessa seemed to have picked up on it too. He moved with her, holding her hand as she found the source of the sound. "I got you," he mumbled as he moved a hand up to her hair, snatching a bobby pin and taking out a small pocket knife. In no time he had managed to unlock the door, watching the scene in front of him he froze. He watched as Vanessa bashed the guy's face into the mirror before grabbing Buffy and holding her close. Ethan gritted his teeth, seeing red he grabbed the guy's shadow, manipulating it so it would hurt him without needing to touch him. However the human was very drunk, and he could barely stand as he still felt so intoxicated by Vanessa.

Buffy let out a cry for help and it seemed like her prayers had been answered. It all happened so quickly and she watched as Will hit the floor, and as soon as she felt Vanessa's arms around her she belted out a cry. She was sobbing, feeling so drunk and scared of what could've happened if she hadn't come through the door. She almost clung to her as she with teary eyes looked to Baal, his voice almost distorted as she felt herself look away from Will. She couldn't look at the shapeshifter without feeling sick to her stomach. "C'mon, it was all in good fun, right love?" Will said, clearly trying to hide in how much pain he was after Ethan's number and now Baal basically strangling him. "Tell him Buffy, tell him you wanted me, and that if he wanted his fucking turn he could wait in line," Will almost hissed the last part at Baal. Buffy hid her face, still sobbing as his voice just brought forward what had just happened, only it was on repeat in her mind.

"Let's get you home," Ethan said, having calmed down somewhat. He placed a hand on Vanessa's shoulder, a sad smile on his face as he looked at her, but he felt like he had blown his shot. "She shouldn't be alone after this, any one of ya that can stay with her?" he asked, knowing he was probably not the first pick.

All air got pushed out of Will as Baal shoved him hard against the wall, making him gasp for air as the demon threatened him. Buffy kept her face hidden until they started speaking about her. She couldn't say anything, she could barely feel her legs as she was shaking so much. Her green eyes looked to Baal as he grabbed her, pulling her into his arms. At first she was fighting a bit against it, but soon she wrapped her arms around his neck and hid her face in shame against his shirt. She was still shaking, scared at what had just happen, what could have happened if Vanessa and Ethan had not shown up at the exact right moment. Fear was still running wild in her system, but having him near seemed to calm her for some reason. It wasn't like the scary feeling was gone, it was more knowing that he would keep her safe as long as she stayed close to him. The cold air outside didn't really seem to bother her, but it was probably because of a mixture of alcohol in her blood as well as the adrenaline coursing through her veins. "Baal," she mumbled, her voice broken and her heart in pieces. Why was she still letting him carry her? Why had he come to help her and now chose to stay with her so she wasn't alone? So many questions she had, yet she couldn't find her words.

Ethan wrapped his arms around Vanessa as she pulled him in to a hug. He stroked her back with his hand, his other resting on the back of his head as he gave a mean glare to Will still on the floor. He nodded at her words. "I'll call us a taxi," he said, placing a kiss on top of her head. Something in him beckoned for the chance that this would not just be the night where she got away, but he picked up his phone, making a quick call and ordering a taxi for them. As it arrived, he took her hand, entangling their fingers as he just needed to at least feel it once, and guided her outside to the car. He joined her on the back seat, wrapping an arm around her, pulling her close as he gave her address to the driver. The car ride wasn't long, but he stepped out with her. If she didn't want him inside it would be fine, he would just walk back to the academy alone, but he wanted to at least see her step through the front door. "Listen, I know I come across as a cocky idiot, but I don't feel like it's just attraction I feel for ya," he said as they walked up to her door. He stopped, placing a gentle hand on her cheek as he looked into her eyes. He couldn't believe he had actually mustered up the courage to just go for her, and that she hadn't pushed him away. "I get that what people say in the dark isn't always the truth, but I haven't lied to ya at all tonight," he promised, looking at her as he hoped she would see the sincere look in his eyes.

Buffy felt herself drifting a bit in and out of consciousness, and the next time she opened her eyes she was at her dorm. Her hand lazily found it's way to her pocket, taking out her key and handing it to Baal so he could unlock. She clearly didn't have the motor skills for it anyways. Getting inside she soon felt her back against the bed. Looking over to her roommates bed, she could see she wasn't there. Probably out partying too. Buffy kicked off her shoes before crawling under her duvet. Her green eyes looked at the demon in the dark, reaching her hand out, pulling him down on the bed with her if he let her. She couldn't handle being alone, not now. "Please stay with me," she pleaded in her broken voice, clearly giving away that she had been sobbing so much.

He didnt blame her for fighting against his pull, he hadnt given her any reason to trust him like that at all. Didnt stop him from pulling her into his arms anyway and lift her up as he felt how badly she was shaking. There was no way he could guide her down to the car. Her mumble, just hearing the tone of how broken she was, made him feel so much guilt. Hadnt he been so focused on pushing her away, this would never have happened, hadnt his own insecurity gotten the best of him. He sighed deeply, knowing that at least she was safe now that she was with him - But it didnt take away what she had been almost been through and what he had done to her. Had he not been so in control of himself he was sure he would have strangled the guy to death just because of what he had done to her. He got her in the car, noticing how she had fallen unconscious. He clenched his jaw as he moved some hair from her face, before he moved in on the other side to start the car. The drive wasnt that far and the low traffic was a relief as he spent most of the time checking up on her. He parked at the dorms, pulling her back out into his arms as he went inside, looking down at her as she seemed to wake up. He grabbed the key, nodding a little before he unlocked the door and went inside with her. He placed her on the bed, before he stood for a bit to look at her, before he would start looking for a chair. He wasnt going to leave her, that was for sure. He felt her pull and for a second he felt like pulling away from her, but his body seemed to just follow, wrapping an arm around the duvet that covered her. "I'll stay," he said in a low tone, looking at her face before hugging her closer. He couldnt imagine how she was feeling right now.
He was quiet for a bit before he exhaled deeply, looking down at her, "I'm sorry," he said again, not sure if he felt like he could apologize enough. He lifted a hand to his face, rubbing his nosebridge as he closed his eyes for a bit, "You should get some rest," he then said in a low tone, but it wasnt what he had wanted to say in the moment.

It was weird that she felt so grateful for Ethan having been here with her. She wasnt usually letting her guard down, her father hadnt raised her to be that way. In this universe, Vanessa's mother had kept her father at her side, so it meant that she had actually had a somewhat decent childhood, very strict though. If there was something that Samuel wouldnt accept, it was the weakness of crying. And yet here she stood in his arms, letting it all out. She nodded as he said he would call for a taxi, turning her eyes back to Will. She wanted to just end him for what he had done, thinking it was more than unforgivable, but it wasnt up to her to make that decision. She followed Ethan out, letting him entangle their fingers as she tried to get a hold of her crying. When she got in the car with him, she hid away in his shirt, a few sobs leaving her mouth but she had seemed to calm down.
When they got to her house, she looked up at the gates, swallowing hard as he blinked her tears away, knowing what Samuel would say if he saw her like this. She turned her head to Ethan as he spoke, shifting between his eyes. It seemed hard to believe that he wasnt just pulling off some trick, but would that have been a smart idea after they had seen what almost happened to Buffy? She had to believe that there was some sincerity to his words. She drew in a deep breath as he finished talking, looking down at the ground for a bit before she looked at her hand that he had held, "I believe you," she mumbled before she looked up at him. "I dont want to go home," she said with pleading eyes.

As he wrapped an arm around her, she turned to face him, nuzzling her face against his chest. In her drunken state she could barely describe the comfort he was giving her right now. She barely heard his apology, resting her palms against his chest as his scent was enough to send her to the dream land she longed for. Her head leaned closer, kissing him lightly on his shirt as she pulled herself closer to his heat. She was still shaking from time to time, her body reliving the trauma over and over, however with Baal there, they seemed to get easier to manage. After a while she went silent, having drifted off to her dreams as she laid there snuggled up to the tall demon.

Ethan couldn't help but scoff a bit, chuckling none the less. "First ya wanna go home, and now ya don't wanna go home?" he asked with a smile on his lips. He gave her hand a squeeze, looking at the taxi with a thoughtful gaze. "Alright, I guess I'll have to bring ya home wiv me," he said in a serious voice. He was slowly sobering up, making him realize how he had behaved. He pulled her close shortly before moving to the taxi once more, this time saying his address. "However I'm going to warn ya, it's probably messy," he chuckled as the taxi went off in the direction of the address he gave. Soon they were at his address, a broken down apartment building close to Southside. He payed for the taxi, pulling her with him. Why did he feel so giddy all of a sudden? He pulled her close, placing a kiss on her forehead, just standing there for a second or two before guiding her inside and up the stairs. Before entering, he looked at her, feeling his heart beat faster for some reason. He couldn't do anything but lean in and kiss her lips, feeling his whole being relaxing for the first time that evening.

The night was purely painful for Buffy, every time she had drifted off it didn't take long for her to start crying in her sleep, even waking up several times, flailing with her arms as if someone had held her captured. However as soon as she looked into Baal's eyes, hearing his soothing words, she rested back down in his arms. When the sun finally decided to show itself she felt so broken and worn out that she could barely stand to open her eyes. Instead, she laid there, pretending to sleep as she hugged herself close to the demon in her bed. She knew that when she woke up he would probably leave, and she didn't want that. She wanted his arms around her, hear him say sweet words of safety and feel his breath on her skin.

He held her close, but even so, his grip around her was not tight enough to constrain her or make her feel like he was suffocating her. The last thing he wanted was to lose her trust, but he didnt even know why. Wasnt his plan to just help her through the night and then resume avoiding the inevitable heartbreak for the both of them? He heard her breath slow down and he knew she was asleep. He didnt let himself sleep though, he couldnt. His thoughts were roaming his mind with a crazed speed, somewhat even worse than the last few nights. The scenario of had he just stopped her from going inside the house or prevented her from talking to Will, it was frustrating him. But there he laid, making sure she felt safe and sound.

Vanessa frowned a little as he chuckled at her, clearly he had no idea how ruthless her father could be. Not that she could really blame him for not knowing, they hadnt talked much in school as she mostly avoided him. "My father would kill me for being such a mess," she said with a sad expression as she looked up at the big house. There was no way she wanted a scolding after what had just happened tonight. She looked down at their hands and felt the squeeze of his hand. His touch was quite comforting, and so was his words. She looked relieved before glancing back at her home. She hadnt even had a drop of alcohol tonight and yet she felt slightly lightheaded after their encounter, but it was more like the surprise and overflow of feelings that had overwhelmed her. When he pulled her close, she looked up at him. She shrugged at his warning, "It's more personal than a polished to perfection marble floor with expensive trinkets no one even notices anymore," she said before making a slight smile - She didnt really like her home that much, it was cold with all the boastful decoration. She leaned onto him in the taxi, looking out the window as she held his hand close to her. When they got out, she looked around for a bit. She had roamed Southside with Baal a few times to find some evil souls to consume, but now she was here under other circumstances. She felt his embrace again with a kiss on her forehead that made her close her eyes as she inhaled his scent, not really bothered by the smell of alcohol. She followed as he guided her, looking a bit around as they got up to the apartment, before she looked at him. She could still change her mind, decide that she truly believed he was out to hurt her. But when she felt his lips on her, it was like the world disappeared for a moment and she only had her focus on one thing - Him.

Whenever Buffy started crying or fight his embrace, he would his arm from her to give her the space he needed, sit up with her if she decided to sit up, before he would place a hand on her cheek and make her focus on him. "Buffy. It's alright, I'm right here," he said in a hushed tone as he ran his thumb over her cheekbone, not sure why he felt so breathless by such a simple caress, that he didnt even feel himself. He got her to lie back down with him, keeping her closer than ever as he just kept awake. When the sun came, he didnt feel that tired, he had probably gotten used to not getting a lot of rest. He readjusted himself as he looked down at her, removing a little hair from her face as he sighed deeply.

Buffy couldn't explain it, but his words and touch just made her come back to reality. Feeling him press her tighter made her sigh, wrapping her arms around him tighter in return. As he started moving she felt herself whimper a little bit. She wasn't ready to let go, she didn't want the night to end, even if she had night terrors, she would be sure to wake up close to him. However she also knew they couldn't stay here forever. She had to face reality, but her head felt like it was pounding when she wasn't lying still. "Baal," she mumbled, not wanting to open her eyes. She was afraid to see his stern face, or hear him grunt and leave her. Instinctively she clutched herself closer to him, hiding her face against his neck, breathing slowly against his warm skin. "I'm sorry," she whispered in a defeated tone. It wasn't everything she could remember from last night, but she could remember yelling at him. She could remember how mad she had been that he had completely disregarded her, only to turn around and stay with her after the terrible event. Was it really that strange that she felt so confused about her emotions right now? She pulled away from him, looking at him with gentle eyes as she dared to open her eyelids. There he was, the handsome demon, whom she had stolen glances at this whole semester. She didn't know what to say, she just knew she didn't want him to leave.

He looked down at her as she whimpered, his eyebrows burrowing into confusion as he wasnt trying to leave her. He moved his hand a little up her back, keeping her close as he moved his eyes to the wall while he was still in his own mind. He heard her mumble, swallowing hard as he looked at her, waiting for her to open her eyes. When she didnt, but instead moved closer, his arms followed, to keep her safe in his embrace. Her breath on his skin made him feel some fuzzy warm feeling in his stomach, but he wasnt sure how to react from that. He hadnt really been close with anyone since that girlfriend he had so many years ago, and even back then he had no idea what really to do. He just knew that he wanted to keep her safe. Her whisper made him shake his head with a sigh, "It's fine," he assured her with a soft tone. He thought he had deserved her yelling at him, even more so after what happened with Will. She pulled away and he looked at her as she opened her eyes. He pinched his lips shortly to moisten them as he made a deep sigh. "We need to find a solution to this whole thing, because it's clearly not working out for either of us," he said rather determined as he sat up in the bed as he wasnt sure he could handle holding her this close without feeling like he was going to lose his mind to inner conflict.

He said it was fine, but was it really just him being polite? She could hardly tell as she felt like the room was spinning. He spoke of finding a solution, sitting up, she just rested her head on his lap. Buffy was terrified of removing herself from him. "A solution?" she mumbled, closing her eyes as she didn't want to think too deeply right now. She took a deep breath, calming her nerves a bit as she just laid there for a few minutes, adjusting to the light in the room. "I really don't know what solution could come of this," she whispered truthfully, feeling a little lost in it all. On one hand she knew she liked Baal, but that was maybe more based on his looks rather than anything else. On the other hand she could really use some time to get to know him, but she felt stupid for thinking in any of those directions. She leaned away from his lap, sitting up and feeling her body slow and lazy from the alcohol. "Honestly, I just want to get to know you - I want to figure out why I can't get you out of my mind," she said, looking up at him with pleading eyes. The way he had so gently touched her cheek last night made her blush, just from remembering it. "But I get that you don't want that, that I'm really not interesting, and that's fine," she sighed, sounding a bit defeated. She just had to accept reality as it was and move on, but it was hard when she couldn't really get any closure.

He didnt mind her resting her head on her his lap, but he still felt a little uneasy with her so close to him. He looked down at her, thinking about what to say that could help them think of some sort of solution. He scratched his neck as she seemed to be as clueless as he was. But it was only because of him that this seemed to be a problem. He moved his eyes away from her, clenching his jaw shortly. He looked at his hand, knowing she possibly couldnt accept that part of him. She sat up and he listened to her as she spoke. He sighed deeply, as he looked away for a bit, frowning with a sad expression. It was  a simple thing that she was asking of him, but it just didnt seem that simple. He closed his eyes for a bit as she thought he was doing this because he didnt find her interesting. That wasnt the case at all. "I told you that you wouldnt understand. It has nothing to do with whether you're boring or not - Which I can inform you that you arent at all," he said with a rather frustrated tone before he shook his head. It was better to just show her. He pulled his sleeve up on one arm just to use his other sleeve to rub off the skin coloured cream, revealing the black swirls that he had been trying to hide all this time. He didnt really say anything, just moved his arm closer to her to let her see them closer. Many would have thought it was just some intensive tattoo-job but the swirls had some sort of shine to them, like they were a living thing rather than ink.

His words surprised her a bit, but it just made her wonder what it was then. If it weren’t her that was the problem, then he must’ve been hiding something. He rolled up his sleeve, and it made her pop her head up. Her eyes widening as she saw the marks appear. It had never been in Buffy’s mind to find them repellent, placing a careful hand over the marks with wonder in her eyes. “It looks like small black diamonds,” she mumbled in awe, looking at his marks closer. If there was one thing Buffy wasn’t it was closed minded, and she carefully touched along one of the swirls, watching the faint glow reflecting like light on obsidian. Her eyes wandered up to him, she looked overwhelmed and a little confused. “You’re afraid I don’t like tattoos?” she asked with a raised brow, smiling gently at him. She could of course see it wasn’t just tattoos, no this had something far more supernatural about it. “I know it can’t be tattoos, but why are you hiding them? - Hell if I had something as beautiful as that covering my skin I would make sure to show it off,” she said, still in awe at how the swirls seemed to interlink with one another. She felt her heart beat a little faster, taking his arm and looking at it more in depth. Buffy has always been a curious one, jumping in to the unknown when the opportunity came about. Her lips moved carefully to his arm, kissing his visible marks gently as she didn’t want him to push her away. “Sorry,” she mumbled in a low tone, still feeling a bit intoxicated from the night prior. She felt like she needed a shower, needed something to wash away the feeling of Will’s hand in her hair and his breath on her skin.

He looked at her a little surprised as she seemed to look at the marks with wonder rather than disgust. He wasnt quite used to it, remembering how other kids had been told by their parents to stay away from him, even far into puberty it occured that he was told he was a bad influence solely based on something he hadnt had no control over. "My skin is tainted," he said in a sad tone as he shortly glanced at the marks and her eyes as she inspected them, to then just look away. He couldnt possibly believe that she thought it was beautiful. He felt her finger, clenching his jaw a little as he looked back at her, shifting between her green eyes as he couldnt understand why she was smiling so gently at him.  Her question made him shake his head, "It would be weird to not find it a little repulsive," he answered as he looked at her. He hated his marks more than anything because of how it had made people perceive him. It was the sole reason he didnt seem to get along with people. Her question made him raise his eyebrow, "I've had them since I was born. They made parents pull their kids away from me, isolating me because they thought I was bad influence," he said as he just let her inspect his arm further. He couldnt understand why she was so mesmerized of them, and when he felt the kiss, he frowned in confusion but let her keep his arm. "I guess this is the price I paid for being one of the devil's sons," he added, thinking he might as well come totally clean. He pulled his arm away as he got up from the bed, pulling his sleeve back over his arm as he walked to look out of the window in silence.

His words made her realize that he thought she would push him away, that she would find him disgusting and run away screaming. Yet here she was, more in awe than in disgust. "People always think that different is scary," she said with a warm smile on her face. She didn't find him repulsive, now she found that she knew more about him. He had trusted her enough to see what he had been trying to hide. As he said he was the devil's son she frowned, letting him leave the bed and watched as he stood in the window. "So you're Enid's brother?" she asked with a smile, sitting up, placing a hand against her head as it felt to be pounding a bit from the movement. Taking a deep breath seemed to make the symptoms go away, as long as he didn't yell or spoke too loud. "Baal, our parent's and looks don't define who we are," she said in a calm voice, looking down at her finger with a sad smile on her lips. She could understand his struggle somewhat, seeing as her parents had always wanted her to act a certain way, but her aunt Leona had helped her accept herself for who she was. "When I was young, my uncle on my father's side burnt half of his body in an acid accident, she said, frowning at the memory. "I remember at first that I was so scared of him, until my aunt, his wife, took his face between her hands and kissed all of the burnt and deformed features," she said, feeling a little silly to mention it. "She told me that he was the same man she fell in love with, that his looks didn't matter, because it was his personality that made her see how beautiful he was," she said, carefully looking up at Baal, smiling a bit hopeful as she hoped he would look her way. Couldn't he see that she found beauty in the strange? "At first, different seems scary and unpredictable," she said, moving to her feet and walking over to him, touching his arm where his cream had been rubbed off, her thumb caressing the fabric as she smiled to him. "What you do in life, how you react and how you feel, that is what I judge other's on," she said, looking up to meet his gaze. Taking a deep breath, she leaned her head against the frame of the window, closing her eyes as she felt dizzy. "I'm going to take a shower - And if you want to, you can take one too, if you trust me enough to let me see your marks," she said, smiling as her eyes were closed. She didn't want to pressure him into showing her everything, but she was curious as to how many of the swirls interlinked, and how much of his body it covered. Buffy felt herself blush a bit, thinking of his body, opening her eyes to look at him.

"Yeah, I'm her brother," he said with a sigh. He hadnt discovered the powers of his mark, which meant that he hadnt spent much time with his sister. As close as he wanted to be with his siblings, he hadnt really talked to many of them, mostly because his mother wouldnt allow it. He looked at her in the reflection as she spoke, shaking his head, "I know that. But it's still the groundstones of who we are," he said in a tone driven from emotion.
Her story made him close his eyes as he started grinding his teeth slightly. He wanted to believe, but it was just hard for him. He just kept quiet as he stared out the window, seeing people walk around with their friends and others with the one they loved. How could he ever imagine himself being like one of those regular guys with a girl under his arm. He turned his head to her, seeing her hopeful smile as he then looked away with sad eyes to the outside world. He heard her get up and approach him, looking at her hand touching his sleeve in the reflection of the window. He just didnt know what to say or how to react, the conflict in him unchanged, going through his mind with such a craze. When she mentioned a shower and offered him one too, he looked at her with eyes that revealed that he felt quite unchanged. He swallowed hard as he shook his head with a defeated expression, "I'm sorry," he mumbled as he looked at her, "I cant," he said in a tone that was far from clear, almost choked in the emotions he felt. "It's a good thing that your aunt could look past your uncle's disfiguration. But she knew him before he changed. The marks on my skin? They're evil. I can feel it, looming under my skin," he said in a more clearer, yet frustrated tone before he shook his head.

"No pressure, I wasn't trying to force you to anything," she said when he said he couldn't. She just wished she could do something, make him understand that what he thought wasn't real. His words made her sigh, looking down as she didn't know what to say. "Even if the marks are evil, do you yourself feel evil?" she asked, opening her eyes to look at him. She shook her head, looking down as she felt mad at herself for asking. "Listen, even if you don't believe me, I'd like to try to be friends - Is that too much to ask for?" she asked gently. She knew she couldn't change his mind, because it was something deep inside of him. She wanted to take away his pain, do as her aunt had did and kiss what was making him doubt himself. She reached up, touching his cheek, her eyes greeting his. Her green color having a bit of spark as if she wasn't going to take no for an answer. Her thumb rubbing along his cheekbone made her hand buzz a little. Her lips separated as she looked at him, feeling like her breath had been taken away by her touch. "I can't force you to believe me, but could you at least listen to me when I tell you that I don't see someone evil or malicious in front of me," she said in a soft voice. She felt her heart race, but she couldn't move her hand from his cheek, it was like she hungered for his touch, wanted him close. Couldn't he just put his arms around her? Hold her close like he had the whole night and made her feel safe? Swallowing she removed her hand and it felt like her hand was stinging from not touching him anymore. Looking down she felt a little embarrassed that she felt so drawn to him when she had just suggested to be friends. "Or ... At least take me back as your study partner in history," she mumbled shyly.

He was right. She didn't know him, but she felt so connected to him in some way, that having him leave today without trying to set a goal would tear her apart. It hurt a bit, hearing him say that it was for the better, but she knew she couldn't force him to do anything. "Let's try then," she said with a warm smile on her lips. Buffy still felt dizzy but it was getting better, but now she really just needed that shower. When she closed her eyes she could still remember the feeling of Will grabbing her, forcing her down, and it scared her, making her shiver. Opening her eyes she looked to Baal, smiling at him as she didn't want him to worry. "I'll take a shower - will you be here when I'm done? We could, uhm, go over some study notes or just watch a movie?" she suggested with a pleading smile. She couldn't bear thinking about being left alone yet, and getting her mind off of what had happened would help her a lot.

Weeks passed, and every time history rolled around, she felt a rush in her stomach. It was nice. Just sitting with him, hell she even managed to make him chuckle, even though he tried covering it up. October came about, and soon the school was buzzing with the news of a Halloween party. Buffy wanted to go, and thanks to Vanessa and Lana, Will had been shunned by the whole school. She had found herself growing closer to Vanessa, found a friend in her, and even though she didn't know where to place Lana yet, she considered her a friend too. Strange how horrible events could bring people together. She was sitting in history class, writing a few notes, waiting for the lesson to end. As soon as the bell rang she got up from her seat, managing to put everything in her bag rather quickly.

He noticed her shiver as she closed her eyes, how she tried to cover it up with a smile when she opened them again. He couldnt help but feel worried and angry, but angry at Will. He thought about what dumb reasons he had had that night for not just strangeling the life out of the guy after what he had done to Buffy. But he knew it was because he had already become a little possessive towards her and having someone harm her that way just sparked his hunger for violence. He was pulled out of his 100-ways to kill Will thoughts by her suggestion. He replied with a nod as he looked at her, “Sure. I wouldnt want to leave you alone either way,” he said, the truth quite clear in his voice though he had been thinking about leaving a couple of times in their confrontation. She went off to her shower and he stood by the window for a bit longer before going to sit on their bed.

Some time passed and it wasnt like it had dulled down on the feelings he had. He was still stubborn as ever, thinking that it was better to just stay friends but the lonely nights with dreams of her happened more frequent now. It was either something she had said that would have made him laugh, except in the dream it had driven him far enough to just lean in finally get to feel how soft she was. To avoid having himself behave like his dream, he kept his laugh to smiles, though he did slip up when it was something that was just too funny. Vanessa kept punching him whenever she met him, because she knew what was going on in his head and she thought he was something more than stupid. “Stumb jerk” she called him, staying she had had to connect the words of stupid and dumb into a word as one on it’s own simply wouldnt suffice. But she had been busy with Ethan since the party and when she was around it seemed more like she was interested in Buffy. He knew she was just acting up, so he didnt take it to heart.
History class ended and he watched her pack her bag with such speed, it sparked his curiosity, “Are you in a hurry today?” He asked as he clapped his book together to pick it up.