[For Xander]

[fangyandgrr]

Spike quite liked his cave. It was sort of like his crypt back home, all cold stone, and because of that it stayed cool most days. Course, on days like today that was less of a selling point, but it was out of the elements, and with a little preparation weathering the cold in it wasn't so terrible either, as he'd long ago discovered. So when the

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[scoobys_heart]

While Spike was all about the preparation, Xander had barely noticed the change. He'd spent all day in the compound finishing up some last minute projects for his classes, mainly things he'd left till the last minute but really with the building crew and the club and...who was he kidding, he would have left it till the last minute anyway

[fangyandgrr]

Spike sat up straight, eyes widening at the familiar voice. He set his coffee aside and sprang to his feet, heading for the opening of the cave. "Xander? What--bloody hell, get in here!" He rolled his eyes as the shivering form of Xander came into view, shrugging out of his duster and throwing it around the other's shoulders. "You got a deathwish, mate?"

[scoobys_heart]

"I was doing homework in the compound, was it that obvious?" Xander joked instinctively between shivers. He cherished the warmth given by the duster and Spike's nearness but he didn't think to hard about it. "I thought I could make it home from the compound, but I thought wrong apparently." He said by way of explanation, hoping it was enough for Spike. "You uh...don't mind if I crash here until it blow over, do you?" He tried very hard to sounds nonchalant but his nerves at the question were no doubt showing.

[fangyandgrr]

"No, I'm going to toss you out into a sodding blizzard," Spike muttered, putting an arm round Xander's shoulders and leading him deeper into the cave. "Come on, then. Sit by the fire and thaw out a bit." He reluctantly let his arm fall away so he could pour Xander a fresh cup of hot coffee.

[scoobys_heart]

Xander had a witty response to the throwing out into the blizzard bit, but for once he kept his mouth shut since he really didn't want to be thrown out into said blizzard. And he wouldn't have blamed Spike one bit either.

Instead, he let Spike led him into the cave and docilely sat down by the fire, too glad for the warmth to think of anything else.

[fangyandgrr]

Spike dumped out his own cooling coffee and filled the cup from the container kept by the fire to keep it hot, placing it in Xander's hands as he sat down next to him, solicitously tucking his coat around Xander's body. "S'a miracle you've survived this long, you don't have the sense of a sodding kitten sometimes," he muttered absently, and was he actually fussing over Xander? Maybe a little.

[scoobys_heart]

Taking the cup with a grin of thanks, Xander took a small sip and sighed happily as the warmth settled in his belly. "You have no many times Willow would tell me the same thing. Only a lot nicer. And how was I to know the tropical island was going to have a blizzard?" He said a bit indignantly, because really, that wasn't his fault!

[fangyandgrr]

"Oh, yeah, good point," Spike agreed sarcastically. "Isn't like there was wind or snow or nothing to warn you." He rolled his eyes and forced himself to pull back, letting Xander warm up on his own. "Anyway. S'pose you're stuck here till it clears up."

[scoobys_heart]

When Spike took his arm away, Xander couldn't help shivering at the lose of even that small bit of warmth. "I thought I could make it home. I didn't think it was going to get so bad so quick and I didn't want Giles and Clark to worry." Except now they would anyway so it didn't really matter. That thought just made him sighed defeatedly. "Thanks. For letting me stay. And I'm not saying I think you'd throw me out, just, wanted to say thanks. Especially since, you know...last time I was here wasn't exactly...yeah." He didn't really know what to say about the last time he was here, so he left it at that.

[fangyandgrr]

"Not the way I would've liked to have you tied up?" Spike suggested with a smirk, leaning back on his hands and watching Xander closely for his reaction to that.

[scoobys_heart]

It took Xander a moment to get what Spike meant and he predictably blushed and ducked his head, looking away from the man sitting next to him. "You..." He paused, then turned to look at Spike with a tiny bit of boldness. If Spike wasn't going to hold what happened against him, then well, he wanted things to be back to normal, even if that too was a little strained at the moment. "You mean there are other ways?"

[fangyandgrr]

Spike actually laughed at the question. He couldn't help it. "I'd offer to show you, but I don't want to chase you back out into that mess," he answers wryly, waving a hand toward the cave's entrance. "So we'll just go with yeah. There are other ways."

[scoobys_heart]

Thankfully, Xander couldn't blush any harder then he already was. "I'd say you'd have to show me sometime, but that's just a little too weird and too fast and too...I don't know." He paused and then he added, "I'm sorry. For what happened before the whole tying up thing."

[fangyandgrr]

Spike's amusement faded abruptly as he glanced away and shrugged. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't you." Which hadn't changed his body's reaction to it, but...no. Just no. Even he had his limits.

[scoobys_heart]

There was a long pause before Xander looked up and right at Spike, brown eyes searching to meet blue. "Spike..." He said softly, almost nervously, "I think we need to talk." Not that he wanted too, since Xander hated confrontation, but things had been weird between them lately and well...he didn't like it. He missed Spike.

[fangyandgrr]

That got Spike to look at him, anyway. "About?" If Xander thought he was going to make this easy, he was mistaken. Spike didn't mind confrontations...it was emotions he wasn't keen on discussing.