500 Words, Ethan/Riley - no, really!

[rayne-y-daze.livejournal.com]

Title: That Way, Freedom
Author: rayne_y_daze
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Ethan/Riley
Rating: Mild PG
A/N: Written for slashthedrabble challenge "Crime and Punishment", and on a dare from lunabee34
Word Count: 500


Ethan shifted uncomfortably, handcuffs digging into his wrists and the small of his back. To his left, the young man at the wheel - Riley, did she call him? - stared straight ahead. "My dear boy, I really must protest this treatment. Surely, I can be relieved of these restraints now that we're on the road?" Silence. "Really. I'm not a young man; I'm unlikely to escape from a moving vehicle!"

"Mr. Rayne, I'm under strict orders to transport you to the rehabilitation facility. There was nothing in those orders regarding your comfort." Despite the harshness of his words, the young soldier slowed the car and pulled to the side of the road. Without taking his eyes off his prisoner, Riley climbed out of the vehicle and made his way to the passenger side.

Ethan sat very still as Riley opened the passenger door, being careful to not to give cause for more violence. With the soldier's assistance, Ethan turned in his seat while Riley unfastened the cuffs. He rubbed sore wrists as the boy returned to his seat.

While Riley drove, Ethan cast sidelong glances at him. He saw nothing remarkable – stereotypical middle-American youth; firm jaw, clear eyes, broad shoulders. He was clearly an obedient soldier as well. Seemed an odd addition to Ripper's little crew, but he was obviously one of them, if only tangentially. He recalled how the young man's attention was focused mainly on Buffy. A possible weakness. Ethan smiled.

"So. Riley, is it? How did you come to be one of the gang?" No answer, but he really hadn't expected one. "The slayer keeps pretty exclusive company. You must have made quite an impression, young man." Ethan thought back to previous visits. Ah – a thought. "I should think a rather lasting impression to beat out the vampire." A clenched jaw. He had the boy's attention. "So, what, I wonder, is your intrigue?" Riley said nothing, but Ethan could see the slight twitch at the corner of the boy's eye. A direct hit. "Ah, well, in the slayer's life, someone with no mystery is probably most interesting of all, right?" He flashed his most ingratiating grin, but Riley kept his eyes on the road.

They rode in silence for a bit, while Ethan pondered his next move. Thinking back to the fight at the hotel, he remembered something. Something noteworthy about the hold Riley put on him by the dresser. He'd thought at the time it was his imagination, but, if he wasn't imagining things... He casually drew his left arm onto the back of the seat, his hand near Riley. Keeping his eyes pointed forward, Ethan stretched out one finger and gently stroked the boy's shoulder, eliciting a small shudder. Not his imagination, then.

Ethan strolled jauntily down the street while the military transport headed in the opposite direction. All in all, the night had turned out quite well. He'd obtained his freedom and corrupted the all-American – repeatedly. But what to do next, he wondered?