The Devil Went Down to Sunnydale XVII (Patreon)

The Devil Went Down to Sunnydale XVII– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –Xander lay sprawled across his uncomfortable hospital bed, the cast on his arm both itchy and annoying. The antiseptic smell of the hospital mixed in the worst way with the less-than-appetizing scent of hospital food, which he swore was designed to keep patients sick rather than get them back to good health. Seriously, who thinks this stuff is edible? he thought, poking at the unidentifiable slop on his tray with a plastic fork. Pretty sure I saw this exact same goop in a horror movie once.The dark-haired devil child let out a sigh as he moved the ‘food’ to a tray beside him and reached for the booklet on his lap. If boredom were fatal, I'd be long gone by now, he mused, flipping through yet another car magazine Willow had brought him. The sweetest and least angry redhead in the world had dropped by three times in the four days he had been laid up in this Hell with white walls, packing a small arsenal of sugary snacks and homemade treats, including his all-time favorite—Twinkies. Thank God for Willow and her baked goods, he thought, a slight smile tugging at his lips. Girl's a lifesaver. She had also brought a bunch of books, from new comics to a bunch of her fantasy books, and had spent hours reading to him, her soft voice a welcome distraction from all this bullshit.Giles had visited a couple of times too, each visit kinda awkward and tense at first. Probably still wondering what's up with me, Xander thought, remembering the pointed looks and probing questions the Watcher had directed his way. Thankfully, the older man had steered clear of the heavy questions that had Xander holding tight to the nurse call button. Guess he's finally given up on the witch hunt, Xander thought, relieved as all get out. About time. I was starting to feel like he was on to me.Buffy had popped in as well, her mood way better than the last time he'd seen her. Which made sense, given that their last meetup had her mom in the hospital and her bloodsucker boyfriend being suspect numero uno. Both of those things no longer being a factor had to be a weight off her shoulders. Good for her, Xander thought, meaning it. Girl's got enough on her plate without having to worry about her mom or her undead boy toy.Despite their concerns and apologies for not being there when he supposedly got jumped by drunk college students—an alibi he was grateful to Sam for, even if it did make him sound like a total wimp and an asshole—Xander had reassured them with his usual goofy smile. "Better me than you," he'd said to Willow and Giles both. Can't exactly tell them I got my ass handed to me by a bunch of vampire leather daddies, he thought with a smirk. They'd probably have some real questions about that. "After all, Buffy needed the help with that vampire bitch,” he added.Speaking of vampires and demon-related stuff, he'd noticed that the sunlight seemed to be affecting him less and less since he'd been laid up, the sunlight draining less and less of his strength every time he woke up. Guess that's my demon blood finally settling like Sam said, he mused, flexing his non-cast-trapped fingers experimentally. Despite that though, his energy — that dark red stuff Sam called Infernal Energy or Demonic Power or Nether — seemed to be recovering at a snail's pace, which was weird.On top of that, over the past half-week, his physical wounds had healed with inhuman speed, the bruises fading and the cuts scabbing over rather quickly beneath his bandages — even if they were still sore. Even still, it was oddly slow. Normally, a night's rest was all it took to erase any minor scrapes by the time he woke up ready for school, so this was just... odd.He knew how quick he healed. Nightly battles with six foot tall chalk goblins, hungry vampire newborns, and giant mantises had given him good knowledge on how quickly he could recover and this wasn’t it. Granted, he’d never dealt with a broken arm, a concussion, deep stab wounds, a compression fracture in his spine, and a head wound all at once but… Three days for bruises. Seriously? The difference this time around was just strange, and he couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with the massive blood loss or the huge drain on his Demonic Power during the fight. Maybe both... Note to self: Ask Sam.Now, as he lay there, counting the ceiling tiles for the umpteenth time, his thoughts drifted to the recovery of his broken arm. With any luck, it won't take more than three weeks... He grimaced, thinking about the spring break already slipping through his fingers and the April Fool's Day pranks he'd missed plotting. Just get me out of here before May hits, please. The thought of being stuck in this sterile hell for another month was almost enough to make him scream.He sighed heavily, the sound echoing slightly in the sterile room. Great, now I'm talking to myself. Hospital's really getting to me. His gaze fell on the window, the sunlight streaming in too bright, too cheerful for his mood. At least Willow's treats make this bearable. Wonder if she'll bring more tomorrow...– o – o – o – o – o – o – o –Two and a half weeks had sluggishly trudged by since Xander had been laid up in the hospital, each day blending into the next with only the occasional interruption to break the constant boredom. Today's break came in the form of Willow, her arrival heralded by the cheerful jingle of her favorite keychain as she breezed into the room, arms full of what looked suspiciously like more homework masquerading as get-well gifts."Guess what? We got a new principal," Willow announced almost as soon as she settled into the chair beside his bed, her tone clearly exasperated. She dumped the stack of papers and books onto the small table next to Xander's bed, the pile teetering precariously.Xander arched an eyebrow, a slow grin spreading across his face. "Oh, that's nice," he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Another shining beacon of education to guide us through the hallowed halls of Sunnydale High.""His name's Snyder and... not really?" Willow's response was hesitant, her shoulders shrugging slightly as she settled back into her chair, her hands fidgeting with the hem of her sweater."Willow Rosenberg not being excited about the prospect of a new educator? What is the world coming to? What next, a rain of blood?" Xander quipped, his hand clutching at his heart in mock horror.Willow tried to suppress a smile, her eyes rolling playfully. "No, it's just that he's kind of a..." She trailed off, her nose wrinkling as she searched for the right word."Dickhead? Asshat? Douchebag?" Xander offered helpfully, each descriptor more colorful than the last."...meanie," Willow settled on, much to Xander's amusement. She shot him a look, her lips pursed in disapproval."That's my Willow. So eloquent," he teased, earning a light swat from her on his thigh. "Oh my god, the paiiiiiiin," he whined, clutching at his leg."Stop it," she scolded, though her eyes twinkled. "He gave this whole speech about how he's not interested in making friends and made me and Buffy participate in the talent show.""Talent show? Ugh." Xander made a face, the thought alone enough to dredge up embarrassing memories of past school events. "What'd you do? Did Buffy juggle knives or something?""No... Buffy and I... we were supposed to perform a scene from a play together," Willow corrected him, her fingers now playing with a loose thread on Xander's blanket."Oooh, what play?" Xander asked, his interest piqued. "Something scandalous? Oh, please tell me it was something scandalous.""Doesn't matter. We didn't do it," Willow said, waving off his question with a dismissive hand. "There was this whole thing with a demon hunter puppet and a demon pretending to be a student and harvesting people's organs." Her explanation tumbled out in a rush, her hands gesturing wildly as she tried to summarize it all. "A student had brain cancer and we found out because a demon took his brain to eat it, or something, but couldn't because it was bad and Buffy fought the puppet, until we realized it was a good guy.""What?" Xander's confusion was obvious on his face, his brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of Willow's rapid-fire story."Yeah, and Giles almost got his head cut off with a guillotine," Willow added, describing a typical week at Sunnydale High as if it were no big deal."Huh?" "A lot happened," Willow shrugged as if demon puppets and near-decapitations were all in a day's work."In one week?" Xander's tone was incredulous, his mind racing to piece together the bizarre catchup."Also, I met your friend... uh, Sam," Willow changed the subject, her voice dropping slightly as if she were sharing a secret."'Sam'?" Xander's heart skipped a beat, his casual demeanor slipping slightly as he considered the implications of his friends meeting his devil boss. "The... uh, guy... with uh, the red hair?" Willow seemed unsure, her description tentative as she tried to recall the details. "Ummm... he has blue eyes... and uh, his skin...""Oh, Black Sam, yeah, I know him, he's a cool guy," Xander recovered quickly, forcing nonchalance into his voice. Play it cool, Xan-Man."I don't think you're supposed to say that," Willow frowned slightly."Yeah, yeah, whatever, keep talking," Xander brushed off the correction, eager to hear more about Sam's unexpected appearance at the school."He just decided to help Giles digitize some books for no reason," Willow continued, oblivious to Xander's growing concern. "Just felt like helping out, I guess.""...no reason, huh?" Xander barely kept the suspicion out of his voice. What's he up to in the library? And why's he talking to my friends?"Yeah, and I just... I dunno, expected him to have an accent, or something," Willow admitted sheepishly, her cheeks coloring slightly at the admission."An accent?" Xander raised an eyebrow, his curiosity piqued despite his unease."Yeah, you know…" Willow trailed off, her expression embarrassed as she avoided Xander's gaze, "cause of his... hair... and stuff...""Willow, you're not supposed to say that," Xander couldn't help but tease, a mock-stern expression on his face. "That's insensitive. How could you?""I'm sorry," Willow's apology was sincere, her face reddening like a tomato. "I just thought..."Xander couldn't help himself, letting out a laugh at Willow's obvious discomfort. "Wills, sweetie, it's okay. I've made jokes about it. Sam doesn't care, he's cool. Trust me."Willow shot him a relieved smile, her shoulders sagging as the tension drained out of her. "Oh... okay." After a moment, she shot him a frown, her eyes narrowing. "You're the worst."Xander grinned, unrepentant. "Ain't I a stinker?"