Two of a Kind - Spike/Wesley (BtVS/AtS)
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spren_cious for being so understanding in the face of medical issues delaying this essay.
Title: Two of a Kind
Author:flaming_muse
Pairing: Spike/Wesley (BtVS/AtS)
Spoilers: All of both series, through "Not Fade Away"
E-mail: flaming_muse -at- yahoo.com
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/ainm66/fm_fiction/index.html
What do you get when you combine a vampire with such a strong desire to be better than what he is that he fights to get his soul and an ex-Watcher who will do almost anything to protect the world and those he cares about most, even if it means giving up what he loves? Differences of opinion and outlook, the potential for deep understanding, and a whole bunch of sparks.
Setting up the Pairing
Unlike many of the pairings that have been discussed on![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ship_manifesto, Spike/Wesley has no text and almost no subtext in canon. The two characters were only together on screen for one season (AtS s5), and they were both too focused on their own internal and external struggles to have much of a connection with each other. That's not the point, though. The point is that these two dynamic, complicated, emotional characters share a lot in common and should have connected. What they would have seen in each other if they had had the opportunity is what makes this pairing so compelling for me.
I should say from the start that, while I enjoy angst and drama as much as if not more than the next reader, I am a 'shipper because I like to believe in long-term, stable, happy relationships. I want my characters in the end to find partners who accept them for who they are and who understand them in some deep way. It doesn't have to be a traditional relationship or end up in domestic bliss, but I like the characters to be comfortable and fulfilled with each other.
For that reason, despite the fact that Spike and Wesley have long been my two favorite characters in the Jossverse, I, personally, did not think seriously about 'shipping them until the end of season 6 of BtVS/season 3 of AtS. There are plenty of opportunities for them to interact in dangerous, snarky, and/or sexy ways in earlier seasons, but an actual relationship seemed out of the picture. Before s6/s3, Wesley is so proper, unwaveringly good, and committed to Angel that I can't see him stooping to get involved in any long-term way with an unsouled vampire. Spike, for his part, is mostly evil and looking for someone to worship (not to mention that he's focused on Dru and/or Buffy, although facts like that don't stop fanfic writers; they're just fun plot points to work into the story), and he likely wouldn't find a repressed ex-Watcher powerful or interesting enough for him as a partner. Spike could torment him to get to Angel and might be intrigued by the strength beneath the surface, and Wesley might use Spike to punish himself during his dark period at the end of s3, much as he used Lilah, but an actual relationship seems very unlikely.
The addition of Spike's soul changes the map and made me reassess the pairing. As another vampire with a soul, one who fought for it instead of being cursed with it, Spike becomes both an object of intellectual interest for Wesley and someone who can understand having both a dark and a light side. By this point in canon, they've both done things of which they're not proud, and they both strive - and, in their own eyes, at least, fail - to live up to the heroes whom they follow. Spike's soul also makes the vampire more reflective and thoughtful and gives him a comprehension of his own nature he was previously lacking. At last, they're on more equal ground, and at the end of that year they're both alienated from the people they love. There are endless possibilities for a real connection between them.
The Characters
The key for me in the Spike/Wesley 'ship is how their similarities and differences complement each other. Despite some important parallels in their characters, they are not the same person and have at times opposing ways of looking at the world; for example, they might both sacrifice themselves to save others, but Spike tends to be motivated to save someone he cares about, like in "The Gift," although he did close the Hellmouth in "Chosen" for more than just Buffy, whereas Wesley is more likely to do so for the common good, such as in "Not Fade Away." However, once Spike is souled and Wesley has entertained his dark side throughout the painful process of figuring out who he is after he betrays his best friend by stealing his son and treats both Lilah and Justine in ways he likely wouldn't have considered before, in many ways they're extremely similar.
Certainly, their exteriors are quite different. Wesley retreats behind a hard shell of cool, British reserve to mask his feelings. He's intellectual, thoughtful, generally gentle (except for when he's ruthless), serious, and usually reluctant to offend. Spike, on the other hand, is loud, brash, fun-loving, and unhesitatingly speaks whatever is on his mind. If he offends someone, so much the better. Wesley researches and considers his options (again, except for when he acts instinctively to save someone he loves); Spike jumps into the fray without thinking about the consequences. Wesley usually dresses fairly conservatively, while Spike is anything but understated as he holds onto his punk image of black and leather. The faces they show the world seem to have little in common.
Those disparate façades, however, come from the same need to put distance between themselves and others. Although their demeanors are almost nothing alike, internally they have many of the same issues and weaknesses. They both started out as earnest and fairly dorky young men (see Wes in s3 of BtVS and the flashbacks to Spike's mortal self, William) and have had to change their mannerisms to survive the cruelty of the world. A series of painful rejections and at times actual abuse - Spike by Cecily, his peers, Dru, Angel, and Buffy, and Wesley by his father, the Council of Watchers, and his AI friends, most importantly Angel, with whom he was very close - have caused them to create defenses to try to hide their tender hearts, which have been bruised and broken time and time again. They interact with others in such a way deliberately to cover a deep-seated need for approval and a strong desire to be respected and appreciated, not to mention loved.
Both of them ache to feel like they belong, and they both lost or never had that acceptance in canon. They're strong, able to handle themselves in a fight and to survive on their own, but they prefer to be a part of a group. Wesley flourishes when he is a member of the AI team, at first falling all over himself (literally and figuratively) to be a part of it and later rising to a position of power and respect when he leads them, and Spike revolves around Drusilla, Angel, and Darla for decades and then around the Scoobies in Sunnydale, despite his protestations that he hates them. By the point in canon I start to 'ship Spike and Wesley, they have been rejected by the women they love, have lost the friends they had, and are ripe for finding someone who believes in them and who actively wants to be with them.
Another shared trait is that they also both tend to take a supporting role to a stronger person; for Spike, it's Angel, Dru, and Buffy, and for Wesley it's Angel. They can take charge, as Spike does when Dru is ill in BtVS s2 and Wesley does in AtS s2 after Angel fires them or in s3 after he is cast out of the group, but they seem more naturally to gravitate to following someone else. Both give unwavering - if at times vocally critical - support and are extremely loyal when they believe in someone.
Yet the question of being in charge is also a point of difference between them, and it makes a potential relationship that much stronger. While Spike flounders when coming up with and carrying out a plan, Wesley actually gets more self-assured when people believe in him enough to put him in charge (see the Pylea arc, for example). Spike likes to have someone to follow and to give him direction, whereas Wesley thrives as an object of that sort of allegiance. Wesley would eat up every indication of Spike's belief in him, and Spike would find a willing outlet for his devotion.
Spike and Wesley can be extremely hard, sacrificing themselves and others for the greater good, but they're also both romantic at heart. When Spike is caring for Drusilla or courting Buffy and when Wesley is dating Virginia and Fred, they're both sweet. Wesley plans a secret dinner for Fred in AtS s5 ("A Hole in the World") and goes out on the town with Virginia in s2, and Spike tries in his own misguided way in BtVS s5 and s6 to woo Buffy with new clothes, a fake date (both in "Crush"), chocolates, and romantic words. Both seem to love wholeheartedly, if not necessarily wisely. They want to be in love, and they want to be wanted for themselves, chosen above others. Together, if they could get over their need to pretend that they're men who don't need tenderness, their propensity for romantic gestures could be very satisfying for both of them.
We've seen both of them play rough in bed, though, Spike with Buffy and Dru and Wesley with Lilah. They could give into those instincts just as well as their softer sides, expressing a wide range of emotions. Neither of them is completely sweetness and light, and he wouldn't expect the other to be. They each have a dangerous edge, and they could be free to explore it.
Part of what I like about these characters is how I can see them interacting. They both have clever senses of humor, and Wesley could pierce Spike's snark with a dry word or two, neatly bursting his bubble. They'd find each other worthy opponents in verbal sparring. They're both educated and yet can be amused by humor of the lowest common denominator (in "Somnambulist," Wesley admits to liking Gallagher, for example). Spike could pull Wesley out of his head to enjoy more of the pleasures of the world, and Wesley could share quiet moments with Spike in return. On the more serious side, Spike is intuitive enough to watch Wesley for signs that he's not happy and would speak up if he weren't, himself. Wesley wouldn't be able to withdraw into silence; Spike would poke and prod him until he finally snapped, at which point Spike would also be able to stand up to his temper. They both use words to cut, to defend and attack, and their rows could be emotionally bloody. Yet they're both dedicated enough to the people they love not to leave when things get difficult.
Their dark sides, exemplified by Spike's vampire nature and his attempted rape of Buffy and Wesley's willingness to make decisions that benefit the whole even if they hurt himself and/or others, including those about whom he cares, make them balanced to understand each other in a way that few others in their lives could. Wesley can be hard, dark, and scary, and Spike can be violent, quick-tempered, and rude. Neither is the perfect hero that he wants to be, even though both have striven to live up to the images set forth by the heroes around whom they revolve. Despite hating the flaws in themselves, they can see and accept the imperfections in Angel, Buffy, and, one would assume, each other. Each could bluntly tell the other if he seemed to be stepping over the line, and they might argue about how best to act in any given situation, but they wouldn't be critical of the desires that drive those reactions. They could understand frustrations over failures and perceived weaknesses of their own characters and yet wouldn't love each other less for those traits. All parts of their personalities are welcome in this pairing, from the dorkiest to the darkest, and they don't have to stifle themselves. Even Spike being a vampire, once he has a soul, wouldn't be a problem for Wesley; he has been accepting Angel as he is for years.
Canonical Issues
A problem with Spike/Wesley, though not for those of us with imaginations, is the lack of canonical interaction. Although there are countless points in time where they could meet, the two don't officially find themselves in the same place until season 5 of Angel (though there is that interesting question of Wesley being the first one to recognize Spike in "Just Rewards," since he supposedly had never seen him before), and on screen they're both too focused on other things - Spike with getting recorporalized and then finding a sort of peace with Angel, and Wesley with his job, Fred, Illyria, and Angel as well - to do much together. There's very little conversation between them that's not plot-related, although Spike's attempt to cheer Wesley up at the end of "Lineage" shows that there's some relationship between them beyond Spike acknowledging him enough to give him the nickname of "Percy" and teasing him about being Head Boy. They also work together in "Time Bomb" and "Origin" and seem to respect each other as members of the same team, but there's no time for reflection and connection. Spike's look of honest regret at the end of "Not Fade Away" at the news of Wesley's death is the only real indication that he had any sort of feelings for him at all beyond simply being a person revolving around Angel. It's a real shame.
Within season 5 there are a number of moments when they could get together or at least gain some insight into each other. Wesley should be interested both in the existence of another souled vampire and in Spike's incorporeal state from the start, as well as in Spike's potential part in the shanshu prophecy post-"Destiny." He also would understand the fear and isolation of being a ghost if Spike were willing to talk with him about it. Spike, on the other hand, did kill his mother and saw the woman he loved die, so he could sympathize with what Wesley experiences. There's a great deal to explore between the two of them, even without a romantic connection being formed.
Another problem for the Spike/Wesley 'ship is Angel. Even if you don't think that there's a romantic attraction, Wesley loves Angel. We've seen countless examples of Wesley doing almost anything to save him, from stealing his son to dragging him up from the bottom of the ocean. On the other hand, Spike until the end of AtS s5 professes to hate Angel, although it's a far more complicated combination of jealousy and rejection than actual hatred. That Angel would come first in Wesley's life, or at least has, would be a difficult pill for Spike to swallow. Of course, for fanfic writers, the Angel issue is just another exciting twist in a story.
Wrapping Up
Spike and Wesley have a great deal in common, and if they are given the chance to connect they can form a deep relationship. In each other they can find some of the pieces they are missing. Spike needs someone who loves him and whom he can love wholeheartedly, without having to hold back. Wesley needs someone to believe in him and to accept his inner darkness and his failures as well as his triumphs. Spike won't mince words and will tell Wesley when he is wrong, but he also will stand behind him without question. He might yell, but he is far too loyal to walk away. Wesley, on the other hand, is a willing focus for Spike's unbounded love. Wesley wants to be loved almost as much as Spike does, so he'd eagerly accept whatever Spike gave him. He also understands the difficulties of being a souled vampire, thanks to his years of friendship with Angel, so he can accept Spike's darker side and could help him to find the right path for the future. He can be the friend and guide that Spike needs, and Spike can be the loyal support and love that Wesley needs. They can be gentle or rough, playful or deadly serious, and relaxed or intense, fulfilling their different urges. They can spend a lazy afternoon reading, clear out a nest of demons, or shag each other senseless, depending on their moods. Once it's established, at its best it's a balanced, comfortable relationship for them both.
In the end, for me, Spike/Wesley is about two people who desperately want to be white knights but who are too nuanced to be traditional heroes finding a loyal and demonstrative partner who truly understands and accepts them, flaws and all, and gives them the love for which they yearn.
Further Reading
The first Spike/Wesley I remember reading was bywesleysgirl, a pair of stories called "One Day" and "And the Next," but it took writing the pairing, myself, to pull me in completely. As I began to play Spike to WG's Wesley in our extremely long AtS s5 Spike/Wes RPG, reality_bends, I became convinced that these two could interact with a firm base in canon (in our case, going AU after "Lineage") and slowly be drawn together.
Although it's not one of the most popular pairings, there's a wide range of Spike/Wes fic out there. Certainly there are a huge number of PWPs, and the characters seem to encourage dark, hard, and bleak fic as much as schmoop.
Peaches Won't Be Happy, an archive of Spike/Wesley fanfic, is a good place to start.
Other fics I particularly like include:
"All Over but the Shouting," by Doyle
"Crack it Open," by WesleysGirl
"He Grieves Sore," by Estepheia
"Save the Best for Last," by Jane Davitt
"Snow in Summer," by Magpie
"The Final Blow," by Jane Davitt
(As most of those are fairly dark, may I be so bold as to recommend my own "Heroes' Rewards" and "Puzzles" for schmoop?)
Longer fics that include Spike/Wesley in a larger group of pairings include:
"Not True Nowhere," by WesleysGirl (Spike/Wesley/Xander)
"Pet," by The Brat Queen (Spike/Wesley/Angel)
"Tea and Biscuits," by Byrne, WesleysGirl, and Magpie (various combinations of Spike, Wesley, Giles, Angel, and Ethan)
"If the World Should End in Fire" and more Spaithley, by Lovesbitca (Spike/Wesley/Faith)
spren_cious for being so understanding in the face of medical issues delaying this essay.Title: Two of a Kind
Author:
flaming_musePairing: Spike/Wesley (BtVS/AtS)
Spoilers: All of both series, through "Not Fade Away"
E-mail: flaming_muse -at- yahoo.com
Personal Website: http://www.geocities.com/ainm66/fm_fiction/index.html
What do you get when you combine a vampire with such a strong desire to be better than what he is that he fights to get his soul and an ex-Watcher who will do almost anything to protect the world and those he cares about most, even if it means giving up what he loves? Differences of opinion and outlook, the potential for deep understanding, and a whole bunch of sparks.
Setting up the Pairing
Unlike many of the pairings that have been discussed on
ship_manifesto, Spike/Wesley has no text and almost no subtext in canon. The two characters were only together on screen for one season (AtS s5), and they were both too focused on their own internal and external struggles to have much of a connection with each other. That's not the point, though. The point is that these two dynamic, complicated, emotional characters share a lot in common and should have connected. What they would have seen in each other if they had had the opportunity is what makes this pairing so compelling for me.I should say from the start that, while I enjoy angst and drama as much as if not more than the next reader, I am a 'shipper because I like to believe in long-term, stable, happy relationships. I want my characters in the end to find partners who accept them for who they are and who understand them in some deep way. It doesn't have to be a traditional relationship or end up in domestic bliss, but I like the characters to be comfortable and fulfilled with each other.
For that reason, despite the fact that Spike and Wesley have long been my two favorite characters in the Jossverse, I, personally, did not think seriously about 'shipping them until the end of season 6 of BtVS/season 3 of AtS. There are plenty of opportunities for them to interact in dangerous, snarky, and/or sexy ways in earlier seasons, but an actual relationship seemed out of the picture. Before s6/s3, Wesley is so proper, unwaveringly good, and committed to Angel that I can't see him stooping to get involved in any long-term way with an unsouled vampire. Spike, for his part, is mostly evil and looking for someone to worship (not to mention that he's focused on Dru and/or Buffy, although facts like that don't stop fanfic writers; they're just fun plot points to work into the story), and he likely wouldn't find a repressed ex-Watcher powerful or interesting enough for him as a partner. Spike could torment him to get to Angel and might be intrigued by the strength beneath the surface, and Wesley might use Spike to punish himself during his dark period at the end of s3, much as he used Lilah, but an actual relationship seems very unlikely.
The addition of Spike's soul changes the map and made me reassess the pairing. As another vampire with a soul, one who fought for it instead of being cursed with it, Spike becomes both an object of intellectual interest for Wesley and someone who can understand having both a dark and a light side. By this point in canon, they've both done things of which they're not proud, and they both strive - and, in their own eyes, at least, fail - to live up to the heroes whom they follow. Spike's soul also makes the vampire more reflective and thoughtful and gives him a comprehension of his own nature he was previously lacking. At last, they're on more equal ground, and at the end of that year they're both alienated from the people they love. There are endless possibilities for a real connection between them.
The Characters
The key for me in the Spike/Wesley 'ship is how their similarities and differences complement each other. Despite some important parallels in their characters, they are not the same person and have at times opposing ways of looking at the world; for example, they might both sacrifice themselves to save others, but Spike tends to be motivated to save someone he cares about, like in "The Gift," although he did close the Hellmouth in "Chosen" for more than just Buffy, whereas Wesley is more likely to do so for the common good, such as in "Not Fade Away." However, once Spike is souled and Wesley has entertained his dark side throughout the painful process of figuring out who he is after he betrays his best friend by stealing his son and treats both Lilah and Justine in ways he likely wouldn't have considered before, in many ways they're extremely similar.
Certainly, their exteriors are quite different. Wesley retreats behind a hard shell of cool, British reserve to mask his feelings. He's intellectual, thoughtful, generally gentle (except for when he's ruthless), serious, and usually reluctant to offend. Spike, on the other hand, is loud, brash, fun-loving, and unhesitatingly speaks whatever is on his mind. If he offends someone, so much the better. Wesley researches and considers his options (again, except for when he acts instinctively to save someone he loves); Spike jumps into the fray without thinking about the consequences. Wesley usually dresses fairly conservatively, while Spike is anything but understated as he holds onto his punk image of black and leather. The faces they show the world seem to have little in common.
Those disparate façades, however, come from the same need to put distance between themselves and others. Although their demeanors are almost nothing alike, internally they have many of the same issues and weaknesses. They both started out as earnest and fairly dorky young men (see Wes in s3 of BtVS and the flashbacks to Spike's mortal self, William) and have had to change their mannerisms to survive the cruelty of the world. A series of painful rejections and at times actual abuse - Spike by Cecily, his peers, Dru, Angel, and Buffy, and Wesley by his father, the Council of Watchers, and his AI friends, most importantly Angel, with whom he was very close - have caused them to create defenses to try to hide their tender hearts, which have been bruised and broken time and time again. They interact with others in such a way deliberately to cover a deep-seated need for approval and a strong desire to be respected and appreciated, not to mention loved.
Both of them ache to feel like they belong, and they both lost or never had that acceptance in canon. They're strong, able to handle themselves in a fight and to survive on their own, but they prefer to be a part of a group. Wesley flourishes when he is a member of the AI team, at first falling all over himself (literally and figuratively) to be a part of it and later rising to a position of power and respect when he leads them, and Spike revolves around Drusilla, Angel, and Darla for decades and then around the Scoobies in Sunnydale, despite his protestations that he hates them. By the point in canon I start to 'ship Spike and Wesley, they have been rejected by the women they love, have lost the friends they had, and are ripe for finding someone who believes in them and who actively wants to be with them.
Another shared trait is that they also both tend to take a supporting role to a stronger person; for Spike, it's Angel, Dru, and Buffy, and for Wesley it's Angel. They can take charge, as Spike does when Dru is ill in BtVS s2 and Wesley does in AtS s2 after Angel fires them or in s3 after he is cast out of the group, but they seem more naturally to gravitate to following someone else. Both give unwavering - if at times vocally critical - support and are extremely loyal when they believe in someone.
Yet the question of being in charge is also a point of difference between them, and it makes a potential relationship that much stronger. While Spike flounders when coming up with and carrying out a plan, Wesley actually gets more self-assured when people believe in him enough to put him in charge (see the Pylea arc, for example). Spike likes to have someone to follow and to give him direction, whereas Wesley thrives as an object of that sort of allegiance. Wesley would eat up every indication of Spike's belief in him, and Spike would find a willing outlet for his devotion.
Spike and Wesley can be extremely hard, sacrificing themselves and others for the greater good, but they're also both romantic at heart. When Spike is caring for Drusilla or courting Buffy and when Wesley is dating Virginia and Fred, they're both sweet. Wesley plans a secret dinner for Fred in AtS s5 ("A Hole in the World") and goes out on the town with Virginia in s2, and Spike tries in his own misguided way in BtVS s5 and s6 to woo Buffy with new clothes, a fake date (both in "Crush"), chocolates, and romantic words. Both seem to love wholeheartedly, if not necessarily wisely. They want to be in love, and they want to be wanted for themselves, chosen above others. Together, if they could get over their need to pretend that they're men who don't need tenderness, their propensity for romantic gestures could be very satisfying for both of them.
We've seen both of them play rough in bed, though, Spike with Buffy and Dru and Wesley with Lilah. They could give into those instincts just as well as their softer sides, expressing a wide range of emotions. Neither of them is completely sweetness and light, and he wouldn't expect the other to be. They each have a dangerous edge, and they could be free to explore it.
Part of what I like about these characters is how I can see them interacting. They both have clever senses of humor, and Wesley could pierce Spike's snark with a dry word or two, neatly bursting his bubble. They'd find each other worthy opponents in verbal sparring. They're both educated and yet can be amused by humor of the lowest common denominator (in "Somnambulist," Wesley admits to liking Gallagher, for example). Spike could pull Wesley out of his head to enjoy more of the pleasures of the world, and Wesley could share quiet moments with Spike in return. On the more serious side, Spike is intuitive enough to watch Wesley for signs that he's not happy and would speak up if he weren't, himself. Wesley wouldn't be able to withdraw into silence; Spike would poke and prod him until he finally snapped, at which point Spike would also be able to stand up to his temper. They both use words to cut, to defend and attack, and their rows could be emotionally bloody. Yet they're both dedicated enough to the people they love not to leave when things get difficult.
Their dark sides, exemplified by Spike's vampire nature and his attempted rape of Buffy and Wesley's willingness to make decisions that benefit the whole even if they hurt himself and/or others, including those about whom he cares, make them balanced to understand each other in a way that few others in their lives could. Wesley can be hard, dark, and scary, and Spike can be violent, quick-tempered, and rude. Neither is the perfect hero that he wants to be, even though both have striven to live up to the images set forth by the heroes around whom they revolve. Despite hating the flaws in themselves, they can see and accept the imperfections in Angel, Buffy, and, one would assume, each other. Each could bluntly tell the other if he seemed to be stepping over the line, and they might argue about how best to act in any given situation, but they wouldn't be critical of the desires that drive those reactions. They could understand frustrations over failures and perceived weaknesses of their own characters and yet wouldn't love each other less for those traits. All parts of their personalities are welcome in this pairing, from the dorkiest to the darkest, and they don't have to stifle themselves. Even Spike being a vampire, once he has a soul, wouldn't be a problem for Wesley; he has been accepting Angel as he is for years.
Canonical Issues
A problem with Spike/Wesley, though not for those of us with imaginations, is the lack of canonical interaction. Although there are countless points in time where they could meet, the two don't officially find themselves in the same place until season 5 of Angel (though there is that interesting question of Wesley being the first one to recognize Spike in "Just Rewards," since he supposedly had never seen him before), and on screen they're both too focused on other things - Spike with getting recorporalized and then finding a sort of peace with Angel, and Wesley with his job, Fred, Illyria, and Angel as well - to do much together. There's very little conversation between them that's not plot-related, although Spike's attempt to cheer Wesley up at the end of "Lineage" shows that there's some relationship between them beyond Spike acknowledging him enough to give him the nickname of "Percy" and teasing him about being Head Boy. They also work together in "Time Bomb" and "Origin" and seem to respect each other as members of the same team, but there's no time for reflection and connection. Spike's look of honest regret at the end of "Not Fade Away" at the news of Wesley's death is the only real indication that he had any sort of feelings for him at all beyond simply being a person revolving around Angel. It's a real shame.
Within season 5 there are a number of moments when they could get together or at least gain some insight into each other. Wesley should be interested both in the existence of another souled vampire and in Spike's incorporeal state from the start, as well as in Spike's potential part in the shanshu prophecy post-"Destiny." He also would understand the fear and isolation of being a ghost if Spike were willing to talk with him about it. Spike, on the other hand, did kill his mother and saw the woman he loved die, so he could sympathize with what Wesley experiences. There's a great deal to explore between the two of them, even without a romantic connection being formed.
Another problem for the Spike/Wesley 'ship is Angel. Even if you don't think that there's a romantic attraction, Wesley loves Angel. We've seen countless examples of Wesley doing almost anything to save him, from stealing his son to dragging him up from the bottom of the ocean. On the other hand, Spike until the end of AtS s5 professes to hate Angel, although it's a far more complicated combination of jealousy and rejection than actual hatred. That Angel would come first in Wesley's life, or at least has, would be a difficult pill for Spike to swallow. Of course, for fanfic writers, the Angel issue is just another exciting twist in a story.
Wrapping Up
Spike and Wesley have a great deal in common, and if they are given the chance to connect they can form a deep relationship. In each other they can find some of the pieces they are missing. Spike needs someone who loves him and whom he can love wholeheartedly, without having to hold back. Wesley needs someone to believe in him and to accept his inner darkness and his failures as well as his triumphs. Spike won't mince words and will tell Wesley when he is wrong, but he also will stand behind him without question. He might yell, but he is far too loyal to walk away. Wesley, on the other hand, is a willing focus for Spike's unbounded love. Wesley wants to be loved almost as much as Spike does, so he'd eagerly accept whatever Spike gave him. He also understands the difficulties of being a souled vampire, thanks to his years of friendship with Angel, so he can accept Spike's darker side and could help him to find the right path for the future. He can be the friend and guide that Spike needs, and Spike can be the loyal support and love that Wesley needs. They can be gentle or rough, playful or deadly serious, and relaxed or intense, fulfilling their different urges. They can spend a lazy afternoon reading, clear out a nest of demons, or shag each other senseless, depending on their moods. Once it's established, at its best it's a balanced, comfortable relationship for them both.
In the end, for me, Spike/Wesley is about two people who desperately want to be white knights but who are too nuanced to be traditional heroes finding a loyal and demonstrative partner who truly understands and accepts them, flaws and all, and gives them the love for which they yearn.
Further Reading
The first Spike/Wesley I remember reading was by
wesleysgirl, a pair of stories called "One Day" and "And the Next," but it took writing the pairing, myself, to pull me in completely. As I began to play Spike to WG's Wesley in our extremely long AtS s5 Spike/Wes RPG, reality_bends, I became convinced that these two could interact with a firm base in canon (in our case, going AU after "Lineage") and slowly be drawn together.Although it's not one of the most popular pairings, there's a wide range of Spike/Wes fic out there. Certainly there are a huge number of PWPs, and the characters seem to encourage dark, hard, and bleak fic as much as schmoop.
Peaches Won't Be Happy, an archive of Spike/Wesley fanfic, is a good place to start.
Other fics I particularly like include:
"All Over but the Shouting," by Doyle
"Crack it Open," by WesleysGirl
"He Grieves Sore," by Estepheia
"Save the Best for Last," by Jane Davitt
"Snow in Summer," by Magpie
"The Final Blow," by Jane Davitt
(As most of those are fairly dark, may I be so bold as to recommend my own "Heroes' Rewards" and "Puzzles" for schmoop?)
Longer fics that include Spike/Wesley in a larger group of pairings include:
"Not True Nowhere," by WesleysGirl (Spike/Wesley/Xander)
"Pet," by The Brat Queen (Spike/Wesley/Angel)
"Tea and Biscuits," by Byrne, WesleysGirl, and Magpie (various combinations of Spike, Wesley, Giles, Angel, and Ethan)
"If the World Should End in Fire" and more Spaithley, by Lovesbitca (Spike/Wesley/Faith)
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Date: 2004-08-29 07:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 07:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 07:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-29 07:17 pm (UTC)What you said! Yes!
*Huge grin*
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Date: 2004-08-29 07:10 pm (UTC)Those disparate façades, however, come from the same need to put distance between themselves and others.
I liked this a lot and seemed to nail a lot of the attraction the pairing has for me personally.
May I archive this at "Peaches" (I haven't had a chance to feedback "Puzzles" yet but omgsocute! I'd love to archive that as well if you would let me)
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Date: 2004-08-29 07:12 pm (UTC)I could go on and on and on and on for days about this pairing; I feel like there's so much that I left out, but it's supposed to be an overview, not incoherent fangirl squeeing.
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Date: 2004-08-29 10:57 pm (UTC)Wow, I'd never thought of that parallel between them. It's true that early Wes and William are very much alike, and Wes's AtS S3 transformation is quite similar to William's self-transformation into Spike. Very cool...
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Date: 2004-08-30 05:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 02:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 05:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 05:53 am (UTC)*smooches*
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Date: 2004-08-30 05:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 06:52 am (UTC)No need for thanks. *hugs* Take care of yourself, lady.
You have broken me, FM. I am broken! *G* So many possibilities. Guh! I love the idea of them together for all the reasons you spelled out.
Thanks for pushing through and producing this lovely treat.
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Date: 2004-08-31 06:35 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-30 07:35 am (UTC)Another shared trait is that they also both tend to take a supporting role to a stronger person; for Spike, it's Angel, Dru, and Buffy, and for Wesley it's Angel.
Very true ::nods:: As you say, Wes takes charge with more success than Spike but I think both prefer to be second in command.
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Date: 2004-08-31 06:47 am (UTC)I really believe that doesn't matter when it comes to the fic; it's just a case of deciding if the characters fit - which these two do - and then creating an opportunity that's plausible.
Absolutely. There are so many opportunities for these two to interact, from pre-canon to post-canon, and they'd be such varied stories. So many possibilities.
But damn it, I wanted to see Wes and Spike going on an errand together or Spike dragging Wesley off to a bar to watch soccer. Something where they could snark and taunt and grow comfortable enough that they could let down their walls a bit.
Hell, I would've been happy if they were discussing multivariate statistics, just to watch AD and JM act together. ;)
Now I can read the other essays, like yours, which I've been saving as a treat!
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Date: 2004-08-30 08:29 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-31 06:47 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-31 12:01 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-08-31 06:48 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-03 03:00 am (UTC)Love Reality Bends, btw. Its feeding my fix - and I admire the way the character voices and plot are holding up under the RPG format (which I imagine is a more difficult format than straight prose).
Lovesbitca's Spaithley fics are friends locked (alas). I would dearly love to read them. Do you know if they are archived anywhere else? Or if they will be eventually?
Leyna