Fic- Comfortably Numb

[cornerofmadness]

Comfortably Numb
Author – cornerofmadness
Disclaimer – all rights belong to Mr. Whedon et al, not me
Rating – PG-13
Pairing – none, Giles- centric
Timeline – Set within Nightmare
Summary – Giles tries to relax after the nightmares are dealt with
Author’s Note – written for fantas_magoria’s Nightmares challenge ‘Tie Henry Fuseli's painting, The Nightmare, back to the Whedonverse somehow’
Word Count – 406

XXX

It was risky business, reverting back to his old ways but after facing his greatest fears a little scotch, Pink Floyd and the tiny bit of pot he had bought seemed like the things he needed to make it through the night. What would his Slayer think of him now? What if she ever learned about what he had been like when he was young? Would it help to know he had been young and human, too? No, more likely she would lose all respect for him.

Of course, now that his fears had made Buffy live, however briefly, as a vampire that was probably already a done deal. He had done that to her, his trepidation leading to fangs and golden eyes. Would his fears haunt her dreams? Somehow, Giles suspected they would.

The sweet-acrid smoke boiled down his throat. We don’t need no education . We don’t need no thought control. After losing his ability to read, yet another of his fears come to life, Giles had to disagree just a little with Pink Floyd. Thought control he could do without but never his education.

A piece of his education came flittering back up to his fogged mind. He could distinctly recall Fuseli’s The Nightmare from an art history course. Giles remembered, at the time, wondering why someone had eroticized nightmares and now he couldn’t even begin to fathom it. There was nothing erotic about it. Still, he remembered the way the dreamer had draped over the bed, every sensual line of her body glowing white against the inky backdrop. The dark blood red of the curtain casting a foreboding over the scene equal to the ugly scowl of Nightmare’s face.

That scowl Giles could connect to. That’s what he had face tonight, the ugly fears that lurked in his mind, his young charge’s mind, all of Sunnydale’s for that matter. It was an experience he didn’t want to repeat. Nightmares might look vaguely pretty on canvas but the reality of them had nearly undone them all.

So for just a little while, he wanted to escape all the horrible images burnt into his memory. He let the scotch wash away some of them. Giles left the roach in the ashtray to be worried about in the light of day. For now, he was content to drift away on his music. To sleep, and perchance to not to dream.

AN- the lyrics are from Pink Floyd’s Another Brick in the Wall Pt 2

Comments

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I likes.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks

and haha to Monty Python Greed

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

I knew you'd like Monty Python Greed. *smirk*

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i was watchign MP this morning when i woke up too early. I want whatever they were smoking

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

They're British. They were probably drinking. *laugh*

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

absinthe maybe

[evil-little-dog.livejournal.com]

*snort*

[aaronlisa.livejournal.com]

Nicely done. I really liked how you used the song, the painting and the episode together.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

thanks. Im glad you enjoyed it

[mulzrule.livejournal.com]

Poor Giles, I just wanna hug our favorite librarian.

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

he could use it