“As one does.” The words were echoed yet again as Spike watched Buffy with a keen gaze. He took in ever mannerism, every glance, every inconspicuous focus on the cigarette dangling from his lips. Of course, he had known from the start just what he ws doing - and so far, it seemed to be yielding pleasant results.
He shifted slightly, still leaning against the wall and giving Buffy a curious look, regarding her reaction. “Off the clock, luv. As always. You’re the workaholic, not me.” Granted, it was because of Giles and her mother, but still. Workaholics were workaholics.
There seemed to be something in Buffy’s voice. Some ulterior meaning. But her personality was so confusing; it made it difficult to pinpoint actual feelings when she spent half her life hating him and the other half fawning over him. Quite confusing, really… and touching, though he would never admit it. “Why you ask?”
Either he was being purposefully difficult or he really had no clue what was going on. They made quite a pair, didn’t they? Even without the whole slayer and vampire dynamic, each and every move was like pulling teeth. And she hated it and yet...here she was, letting him bait her and shift her focus down to his mouth, knowing full-well how teasing Spike was.
A huff escaped her lips, curling into the night air for a split second, arms folding protectively across her chest. “Yeah, well, we can’t all be in charge of keeping the world as we know it safe, I guess,” Buffy retorted with an even stare. Antagonistic until the very end, giving and taking like pulling teeth.
That is, until Spike requires something a bit more...direct. And while, normally, she had no problems speaking her mind...it’s just not something she’s good at doing with Spike. Admitting what she wants has always been hard, actions speaking louder. But she kept quiet for a moment, gaze shifting to her feet, scuffing against the dirt for a moment before meeting his gaze once more. “I mean, I’d like to know if you’re here because of some big, earth-shattering emergency or just...” Buffy’s gaze shifts back down to the ground, her sentence dying on her tongue.