Conclusion of Not Ready
Plus two post Gift drabbles I found. Firstly, the final chapters of Not Ready.
Chapter Three
“Honey, I’m home.” Xander’s voice rang out as he followed Dawn into the kitchen. He stared around the sunny space, then headed for the basement door.
“Go on, put your stuff down and relax for awhile. Need to talk to your “big brother” about that PTO thing at your school. I still think it’s a really bad idea for us to show up there together. I’m not sure how Social Services feels about having a gay couple as parents of a teenager. It’s bad enough one of us is pretending to have a pulse, never mind pretending we’re gay.”
“It’s fine,” Dawn said with conviction. “Spike turned on the charm the last time the social worker came by and he’s got her eating out of his hand. I think he convinced her that he might go straight for the right woman and now she’s all hot to prove to him he’s not gay.”
“Wonderful,” Xander muttered, wondering why a bolt of what could only have been jealousy had just shot through him. Spike had every right to flirt if he wanted to. It’s not like they really were a couple, after all…
“Hello, sweetie. Tough day at the construction site?” Spike’s sarcastic smile greeted Xander at the top of the stairs. His tone quickly changed as he glared at the sunny room. “When are we going to get some decent curtains in this room?” he said, sounding for the moment just like an angry woman. “I can’t even feel safe in my own kitchen.”
“You’re not crippled,” Xander shot back. “Feel free to hit Home Depot for some sun-proof blinds any time you want. I hear they’re open until ten.”
“Somebody’s touchy today. What’s the matter? Did all your little nails not go into the right holes?”
“Some of us have to go to work every day - not sit around watching soap operas and flirting with stupid women.” Xander walked into the darkened living room and threw himself onto the couch.
Rolling her eyes at them, Dawn walked past the living room and went up to her bedroom, turning on her music and looking through her closet for something to wear. While the parents were being subjected to a talk by the school’s principal, some of the students were going to be setting up refreshments in the cafeteria and library. Dawn had volunteered to serve, as much to watch Spike and Xander in action as to get into the good graces of the school administration.
Spike followed Xander at a more leisurely pace, sitting on the end of the couch across which Xander was sprawled.
“Bit told you about the social worker, huh?”
“Yeah. She told me.” He slid his eyes sideways. “Are you going to let her ‘cure’ you of being gay?”
“Don’t know yet,” Spike admitted. “It’s been a long time since I had my dick anywhere more exciting than my hand. If she was a little younger, and a little prettier, I’d be sorely tempted…”
“You are such a slut.”
Spike blinked at him. “What? Why? Because I’m thinking about getting laid for the first time in almost a year? Some of us haven’t spent all but the past few weeks living with an insatiable ex-demon, you know. Maybe you’re all shagged out for a while, but-”
Xander glared at him. “The only reason the school isn’t screaming about the living arrangements is because they think you’re related to Dawn and I’m harmless. How’s it going to look if the social worker is bragging about turning Dawn’s “gay” brother around? Where does that leave me?”
“It’ll look like I’m cured and you’re still a poof.” Spike’s grin faded as he watched Xander’s face darken. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I think it was bloody brilliant of the Bit to think this up.”
Xander stood up and walked to the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water and rummaging around in the refrigerator. He ignored Spike, who was now leaning against the door jamb and staring at him. He finally slammed the door and turned around.
“We’re never going to pull this off. You’ll be hitting on every half-way good-looking woman you see, and I’ll be left standing there looking like…”
“Looking like you’re jealous,” Spike said, moving into Xander’s personal space. “What’s wrong with that?”
“I’m not jealous!”
“No?” Spike moved even closer. “So, what then? You think I can’t convince anyone we’ve got a thing going on?”
Xander swallowed hard as he felt Spike’s hand brush his arm. “Well, no. Yeah. I mean it’s not like we… you… we won’t know what to do. Not that we’re going to do anything!” he added quickly. “Not in public! Not anywhere! Can we talk about something else now?”
“You want to know a secret about vampires?” Spike said, paying no attention to Xander’s babbling. He moved even closer, sliding one hand up Xander’s arm to behind his neck, using it to pull Xander’s head down where he could put his lips right next to the other man’s ear. “We aren’t all that fussy about who we shag.”
“Wha-?” Xander tried to pretend the cool breath in his ear and the lips just touching it weren’t haven’t any affect on him.
Spike stepped away with a smile. “I’m just saying. One of us does know what to do. And how to do it. So, no worries, mate. We’ll be very convincin’ as a couple. All you have to do is follow my lead.”
Leaving Xander standing, open mouthed and with a bulge in his jeans, Spike went downstairs to finish getting dressed. When he came back up, wearing his usual black attire, but with a dress shirt over his usual tee, and a denim jacket in place of his normal duster, Spike acted like nothing had happened. He went into the living room and dropped onto the couch, clicking the remote until he found something interesting to watch.
Xander waited until the visible sign of what Spike’s touch had done had gone away before he forced himself back into the living room. More than happy to deny the incident in the kitchen had ever happened, he sat in the chair and pretended to be watching the inane game show to which Spike was shouting out answers.
~~~~~~~~
The drive to Dawn’s school - located on the other side of town from the still debris-filled site where Buffy had blown up the old high school - was peaceful and quiet. Only when Dawn asked a question about where Xander was working did he become animated.
“I think we’re going to get the job of rebuilding the old high school,” he said, leaning forward. “That’s a big project and should keep me gainfully employed for at least a year.”
“Working over the Hellmouth?” Spike’s voice contained just enough real concern to make Xander glance at him in the mirror. Of course, he saw nothing there, but he made a face at it anyway.
“It’s not like I didn’t spend four years of high school working-” At Dawn’s snort of disbelief, he amended, “Okay, not working, possibly sleeping, but the point is, there was no permanent damage from it.”
“So you say…”
“Shut up, Spike.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
The presentation in the auditorium was blessedly brief and the parents were soon filing out to tour the school or get the free refreshments in the cafeteria. Xander and Spike did their best to appear interested in meeting Dawn’s teachers and seeing her classrooms, following a map she’d given them until they’d at least peered into every room. When Spike got sidetracked by Dawn’s very attractive Government teacher, Xander had to grab his hand and pull him out of the room.
“Stop it,” he hissed.
“Stop what? I was just…”
“I know what you were ‘just’. We’re supposed to be a couple and you’re acting like a…”
The whispered argument was interrupted by another man who walked up and introduced himself as one of the school counselors.
“Hello, I’m Mike Brewer. I’ll be Dawn’s counselor this year. I don’t think we’ve met yet. I met your… sister?” he glanced at Spike, who nodded, “but Dawn tells me you’re going to be our contact person now?”
“Yes,” Spike said smoothly. “I’m William… Summers.” He stumbled over the last name, remembered just in time that he was supposed to be Dawn’s brother. “And this is my partner, Xander.”
Mike shook hands with both men, squeezing Xander’s just a bit harder than necessary and giving him a sympathetic smile. When Spike moved off to look over the cookie selection and talk to Dawn, Mike said, “I take it he’s bi? I know that can be a problem sometimes. If you ever need a sympathetic ear…”
Xander flushed and mentally cursed Spike and his obviously flirting, even as he struggled to smile and respond without punching the other man.
“Uh, yeah. His last… he was with a woman and sometimes he forgets… But it’s okay. We’re good. No problems. We’re both very concerned about giving Dawnie a stable home life.” Xander gave a weak smile and moved in Spike’s direction. “I’m just going to…”
“I’m just saying, I know how it is when your competition isn’t just other men… Give me a call if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just a friend…”
With sudden clarity, Xander realized that the man was hitting on him. Subtly, to be sure, but hitting nonetheless. Gasping in panic, he mumbled something about needing to talk to Dawn, and almost ran across the room to where Spike was standing at Dawn’s station, pretending to steal the cookies.
“There you are!” Xander said, grabbing Spike’s arm and hanging on for dear life. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Not that easy to get rid of, pet. You know that. Now what’s wrong?” He patted Xander’s hand where it rested on his arm, giving it a little squeeze.
“That Mike… that guy… he was hitting on me! Me! Xander Harris. Ladies’ man. He thinks I’m gay!”
“He’s supposed to think you’re gay,” Dawn hissed, gesturing for him to be quiet. “What’s wrong with you?”
“He’s supposed to think I’m being gay with Spike,” Xander whispered back. “Not with other guys!”
“Relax, Harris,” Spike said, not bothering to hide his grin. “He’ll know you’re gay with me.” Before Xander could ask what he meant, Spike slid an arm around him and stuck his hand in Xander’s front pocket. Rubbing his thumb against Xander’s hipbone, he purred, “Could show him right now, if you’d like.”
Xander grabbed Spike’s hand and pulled it away from his body, softening his expression when he saw Mike watching them.
“Not now, honey,” he said through gritted teeth. “We don’t want to embarrass Dawnie.”
“Yeah. Let’s not get Dawnie kicked out because her guardians get arrested for having sex in the school cafeteria,” Dawn said, laughing at Xander’s red face. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.”
“No it isn’t,” Xander said. “Fun time is over. We came, we gayed, we ate cookies - it’s time to go home and just be us.”
“I can’t leave yet,” Dawn said. “I can’t leave until all the parents have left and all the cookies are gone.”
“No problem.” Xander began stuffing cookies in his mouth, elbowing Spike in the ribs. “Come on, fangface, do your part.”
“Why? I’m not in a hurry to leave. Maybe we can sneak off to a dark corner and….” Xander coughed and gagged on his mouthful of cookies, unable to prevent Spike from pounding him on the back. “I’m sorry, pet. I didn’t mean to make you choke. If I wanted to do that, I’d have used something more interesting than cookies.”
Xander’s coughing redoubled, bringing Mike running up to the table.
“Are you all right? Can I get you anything?” He hovered over Xander, giving a grinning Spike a fierce glare. “What did you say to him?” he asked.
“Nothing. I was just kidding with him, and when he laughed the cookies went down the wrong way. He’s fine, aren’t you, darlin’?” Spike began to rub Xander’s back and murmur endearments to him. With a final worried frown at Xander, Mike began to move away. He turned to Dawn and suggested she wrap it up for the night so that her brother and his friend could go home and take care of Xander’s throat. When a teacher called him over to meet a set of parents, he gave a sigh and reluctantly moved away, giving Xander a last, lingering smile as he did so.
“Think you’ve got an admirer there, pet,” Spike said, keeping his arm around Xander and continuing to rub his back, even though Mike was no longer watching them.
“Whoopee, with a side order of wonderful,” Xander muttered, wincing as he pulled the words from his abused throat. “Now I can never enter this building unless you’re with me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let the big bad poof get you. You’re mine.” Spike ran his hand over Xander’s ass and then turned to Dawn. “You ready to go, Bit? You’ve got permission to take off.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s go. I’ve probably made enough brownie points just by showing up.”
~~~~~~~~
Dawn went to her room as soon as they got home, insisting that she didn’t need any help with her homework because it was just reading a book. She waved her goodnight and ran up the stairs, watched by both men.
“She seems to be doing okay, don’t you think?”
Spike shrugged. “She’s doing the best she can - just like the rest of us. She still cries sometimes. But not every night like at first.”
“I wonder what the girls would say if they knew you can hear… and smell… everything they do?”
“Let’s just keep that between us, yeah? I think Red might turn me into a toad if she knew I could hear them….”
“You can hear them? When they… I think I need to sit down. Possibly with a drink.”
“It’s downstairs. Nothing but beer, though.” He turned away and started down the stairs, closely followed by Xander.
“I don’t think beer is going to be strong enough to…. You can really hear them? From all the way down here?”
Spike shrugged. “Not always down here, am I? And yeah, I can hear a lot. Can hear your heart beating now.” He stepped closer. “Could hear it speed up when I stuck my hand in your pocket back at the school.”
“Leave my heartbeat out of this conversation. We were talking about girls - women - not… not your hands in inappropriate places.”
“What was inappropriate about it? If I’d been a bird, you wouldn’t have thought twice about it… even if it was making your pants a little tight….”
“My pants were fine! Are fine! My heart beat faster because I was embarrassed. That’s all.”
“Alright. Have it your way. You don’t find me sexy. I get it.” Spike took a can of beer out of a cooler and sat down, popping his can open and saluting Xander with it. “Here’s to pretending to be a gay couple without actually doing anything about it.”
“Exactly!” Xander slid his eyes sideways as he took a big swallow. He watched as Spike squirmed on the couch until he was almost lying down, his legs stretched out in front of him, open and relaxed. One hand rested on his hip, his fingers almost touching his crotch. He studiously ignored Xander, who was sincerely hoping that his heart rate had not just gone as high as he was afraid it had. He yanked his eyes away from the taut, strong body next to him and gulped down the rest of his beer. “I’m not gay! Not that there’s anything wrong with that…” he added quickly, a response that had become automatic since Willow and Tara had become a couple.
“I’m not gay either,” Spike said with a sigh. “But I don’t feel a need to be sayin’ so all the time. Don’t know who you’re tryin’ to convince.”
“You!” Xander said, grabbing another beer from the cooler and almost spilling it in his haste to get it open. “I’m trying to convince… I’m trying to get you to understand that we’re just pretending, and you keep…. Argh!” He tipped the can up and drained it without looking at Spike again. He reached for his third can, flinching when Spike’s hand touched his arm.
“Easy there, Harris. Your virtue’s safe with me. No need to drink all my beer to brass me off. I’m not trying to seduce you.”
“You’re not?” Xander cursed the slight tinge of disappointment that slipped out in his voice.
“Nah,” Spike said, sliding closer. “If I was tryin’ to seduce you, I’d be sitting over here… beside you. And I’d be looking for excuses to touch you, like this…” Spike slid a hand behind Xander and began massaging his neck. “You’re so tense. No need to be like that around me. It’s just old, harmless Spike.” He put down his beer can and moved behind Xander, now using both hands to rub the tight, tense shoulders in front of him. “Just relax. See? Isn’t that better?” Spike continued to work Xander’s muscles in a surprisingly skillful manner, until Xander relaxed in spite of himself.
“Oh God, that feels so good….” He bit back a moan just in time, although Spike’s quiet chuckle told him he wasn’t fooling the vampire. He rolled his head back, his eyes meeting Spike’s. “You lied, didn’t you? When you said you weren’t trying to seduce me. You lied.”
“Might have,” Spike admitted. “You want me to stop?” His hands continued their soothing stroking, now moving down Xander’s back and working the muscles there. When Spike’s hands slid around to move up and down Xander’s ribs and began edging their way to his chest, he stopped pretending he wasn’t caressing the other man’s torso. One hand went up to rub lightly over a hardened nipple, the other stroking along his belt. Spike slid a finger under Xander’s belt, just brushing the skin on his stomach. Xander’s increased breathing and pounding heart couldn’t be denied, so he didn’t try.
Instead, he put his own hands on top of Spike’s, stopping their stroking, and holding them still.
“Just ‘old, harmless Spike’ huh?” He gave a shaky laugh. “There is nothing harmless about you.”
Spike gave a soft snort of laughter, his cool breath across the back of Xander’s neck sending a shiver through the other man. “I’m just pulling your chain,” he said, moving his hands away. “Know you’re not ready for the real thing yet. I was just givin’ you a little taste.”
“N… nice taste,” Xander croaked out. He moved away from Spike and finally met his eyes. “But I’m not-”
“If you say you’re not gay one more time, I’m going to bite you - headache or not.”
Xander shook his head. “I wasn’t. I was just going to say… I’m not ready…”
Spike nodded, watching as Xander stood up and moved toward the base of the stairs. “But you will be,” he predicted. “You will be.”
“I hate it when he’s right,” he muttered as he ran up the stairs.
“I heard that!”
“Bite me!” Xander yelled back, cursing himself immediately as laughter drifted up the stairs.
The end
And two post Gift drabbles - one Spike, one Spike and Dawn
They all left. Dawn spared a glance before following after the watcher and his too-still burden, her own grief only too visible in her blank eyes. Harris cared only for getting his demon-girl to the hospital; and the two witches were too busy mourning the Slayer and quietly rejoicing at Tara’s recovery to notice his broken legs. Didn’t matter. Didn’t want to live anyway - the image of Buffy’s broken body burned into his retinas. Animal instinct dragged his broken body under a piece of debris, even as the spirit inhabiting it wanted to remain until the sun ended his misery.
Spike/Dawn/M & Ms
“What are you doing?”
“Stealin’ your candy.”
“Well, stop it! You don’t eat candy.”
“I like M&Ms.” He reached for more. “They don’t melt in my hand.”
“You’re a freaking vampire! Nothing melts in your hand.”
Spike growled and stretched forward again.
“Don’t take those!”
Her hand slapped down over the small pile of yellow M&Ms. At the sight of her trembling lip, Spike’s retort died in his throat.
“Alright, pet. There a reason you have them all separated like that?”
“Force of habit,” she whispered, staring at the sunny little candies on the table. “Buffy always wanted….” She took a shuddering breath then shoved them towards Spike. “Here. I guess it’s silly now.”
“Not silly.” His voice was rough as he covered her trembling hand with his own. “Never silly.”
They all left. Dawn spared a glance before following after the watcher and his too-still burden, her own grief only too visible in her blank eyes. Harris cared only for getting his demon-girl to the hospital; and the two witches were too busy mourning the Slayer and quietly rejoicing at Tara’s recovery to notice his broken legs. Didn’t matter. Didn’t want to live anyway - the image of Buffy’s broken body burned into his retinas. Animal instinct dragged his broken body under a piece of debris, even as the spirit inhabiting it wanted to remain until the sun ended his misery.
Spike/Dawn/M & Ms
“What are you doing?”
“Stealin’ your candy.”
“Well, stop it! You don’t eat candy.”
“I like M&Ms.” He reached for more. “They don’t melt in my hand.”
“You’re a freaking vampire! Nothing melts in your hand.”
Spike growled and stretched forward again.
“Don’t take those!”
Her hand slapped down over the small pile of yellow M&Ms. At the sight of her trembling lip, Spike’s retort died in his throat.
“Alright, pet. There a reason you have them all separated like that?”
“Force of habit,” she whispered, staring at the sunny little candies on the table. “Buffy always wanted….” She took a shuddering breath then shoved them towards Spike. “Here. I guess it’s silly now.”
“Not silly.” His voice was rough as he covered her trembling hand with his own. “Never silly.”
Chapter Three
“Honey, I’m home.” Xander’s voice rang out as he followed Dawn into the kitchen. He stared around the sunny space, then headed for the basement door.
“Go on, put your stuff down and relax for awhile. Need to talk to your “big brother” about that PTO thing at your school. I still think it’s a really bad idea for us to show up there together. I’m not sure how Social Services feels about having a gay couple as parents of a teenager. It’s bad enough one of us is pretending to have a pulse, never mind pretending we’re gay.”
“It’s fine,” Dawn said with conviction. “Spike turned on the charm the last time the social worker came by and he’s got her eating out of his hand. I think he convinced her that he might go straight for the right woman and now she’s all hot to prove to him he’s not gay.”
“Wonderful,” Xander muttered, wondering why a bolt of what could only have been jealousy had just shot through him. Spike had every right to flirt if he wanted to. It’s not like they really were a couple, after all…
“Hello, sweetie. Tough day at the construction site?” Spike’s sarcastic smile greeted Xander at the top of the stairs. His tone quickly changed as he glared at the sunny room. “When are we going to get some decent curtains in this room?” he said, sounding for the moment just like an angry woman. “I can’t even feel safe in my own kitchen.”
“You’re not crippled,” Xander shot back. “Feel free to hit Home Depot for some sun-proof blinds any time you want. I hear they’re open until ten.”
“Somebody’s touchy today. What’s the matter? Did all your little nails not go into the right holes?”
“Some of us have to go to work every day - not sit around watching soap operas and flirting with stupid women.” Xander walked into the darkened living room and threw himself onto the couch.
Rolling her eyes at them, Dawn walked past the living room and went up to her bedroom, turning on her music and looking through her closet for something to wear. While the parents were being subjected to a talk by the school’s principal, some of the students were going to be setting up refreshments in the cafeteria and library. Dawn had volunteered to serve, as much to watch Spike and Xander in action as to get into the good graces of the school administration.
Spike followed Xander at a more leisurely pace, sitting on the end of the couch across which Xander was sprawled.
“Bit told you about the social worker, huh?”
“Yeah. She told me.” He slid his eyes sideways. “Are you going to let her ‘cure’ you of being gay?”
“Don’t know yet,” Spike admitted. “It’s been a long time since I had my dick anywhere more exciting than my hand. If she was a little younger, and a little prettier, I’d be sorely tempted…”
“You are such a slut.”
Spike blinked at him. “What? Why? Because I’m thinking about getting laid for the first time in almost a year? Some of us haven’t spent all but the past few weeks living with an insatiable ex-demon, you know. Maybe you’re all shagged out for a while, but-”
Xander glared at him. “The only reason the school isn’t screaming about the living arrangements is because they think you’re related to Dawn and I’m harmless. How’s it going to look if the social worker is bragging about turning Dawn’s “gay” brother around? Where does that leave me?”
“It’ll look like I’m cured and you’re still a poof.” Spike’s grin faded as he watched Xander’s face darken. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I think it was bloody brilliant of the Bit to think this up.”
Xander stood up and walked to the kitchen, getting himself a glass of water and rummaging around in the refrigerator. He ignored Spike, who was now leaning against the door jamb and staring at him. He finally slammed the door and turned around.
“We’re never going to pull this off. You’ll be hitting on every half-way good-looking woman you see, and I’ll be left standing there looking like…”
“Looking like you’re jealous,” Spike said, moving into Xander’s personal space. “What’s wrong with that?”
“I’m not jealous!”
“No?” Spike moved even closer. “So, what then? You think I can’t convince anyone we’ve got a thing going on?”
Xander swallowed hard as he felt Spike’s hand brush his arm. “Well, no. Yeah. I mean it’s not like we… you… we won’t know what to do. Not that we’re going to do anything!” he added quickly. “Not in public! Not anywhere! Can we talk about something else now?”
“You want to know a secret about vampires?” Spike said, paying no attention to Xander’s babbling. He moved even closer, sliding one hand up Xander’s arm to behind his neck, using it to pull Xander’s head down where he could put his lips right next to the other man’s ear. “We aren’t all that fussy about who we shag.”
“Wha-?” Xander tried to pretend the cool breath in his ear and the lips just touching it weren’t haven’t any affect on him.
Spike stepped away with a smile. “I’m just saying. One of us does know what to do. And how to do it. So, no worries, mate. We’ll be very convincin’ as a couple. All you have to do is follow my lead.”
Leaving Xander standing, open mouthed and with a bulge in his jeans, Spike went downstairs to finish getting dressed. When he came back up, wearing his usual black attire, but with a dress shirt over his usual tee, and a denim jacket in place of his normal duster, Spike acted like nothing had happened. He went into the living room and dropped onto the couch, clicking the remote until he found something interesting to watch.
Xander waited until the visible sign of what Spike’s touch had done had gone away before he forced himself back into the living room. More than happy to deny the incident in the kitchen had ever happened, he sat in the chair and pretended to be watching the inane game show to which Spike was shouting out answers.
~~~~~~~~
The drive to Dawn’s school - located on the other side of town from the still debris-filled site where Buffy had blown up the old high school - was peaceful and quiet. Only when Dawn asked a question about where Xander was working did he become animated.
“I think we’re going to get the job of rebuilding the old high school,” he said, leaning forward. “That’s a big project and should keep me gainfully employed for at least a year.”
“Working over the Hellmouth?” Spike’s voice contained just enough real concern to make Xander glance at him in the mirror. Of course, he saw nothing there, but he made a face at it anyway.
“It’s not like I didn’t spend four years of high school working-” At Dawn’s snort of disbelief, he amended, “Okay, not working, possibly sleeping, but the point is, there was no permanent damage from it.”
“So you say…”
“Shut up, Spike.”
~~~~~~~~~~~
The presentation in the auditorium was blessedly brief and the parents were soon filing out to tour the school or get the free refreshments in the cafeteria. Xander and Spike did their best to appear interested in meeting Dawn’s teachers and seeing her classrooms, following a map she’d given them until they’d at least peered into every room. When Spike got sidetracked by Dawn’s very attractive Government teacher, Xander had to grab his hand and pull him out of the room.
“Stop it,” he hissed.
“Stop what? I was just…”
“I know what you were ‘just’. We’re supposed to be a couple and you’re acting like a…”
The whispered argument was interrupted by another man who walked up and introduced himself as one of the school counselors.
“Hello, I’m Mike Brewer. I’ll be Dawn’s counselor this year. I don’t think we’ve met yet. I met your… sister?” he glanced at Spike, who nodded, “but Dawn tells me you’re going to be our contact person now?”
“Yes,” Spike said smoothly. “I’m William… Summers.” He stumbled over the last name, remembered just in time that he was supposed to be Dawn’s brother. “And this is my partner, Xander.”
Mike shook hands with both men, squeezing Xander’s just a bit harder than necessary and giving him a sympathetic smile. When Spike moved off to look over the cookie selection and talk to Dawn, Mike said, “I take it he’s bi? I know that can be a problem sometimes. If you ever need a sympathetic ear…”
Xander flushed and mentally cursed Spike and his obviously flirting, even as he struggled to smile and respond without punching the other man.
“Uh, yeah. His last… he was with a woman and sometimes he forgets… But it’s okay. We’re good. No problems. We’re both very concerned about giving Dawnie a stable home life.” Xander gave a weak smile and moved in Spike’s direction. “I’m just going to…”
“I’m just saying, I know how it is when your competition isn’t just other men… Give me a call if you need a shoulder to cry on, or just a friend…”
With sudden clarity, Xander realized that the man was hitting on him. Subtly, to be sure, but hitting nonetheless. Gasping in panic, he mumbled something about needing to talk to Dawn, and almost ran across the room to where Spike was standing at Dawn’s station, pretending to steal the cookies.
“There you are!” Xander said, grabbing Spike’s arm and hanging on for dear life. “I thought I’d lost you.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “Not that easy to get rid of, pet. You know that. Now what’s wrong?” He patted Xander’s hand where it rested on his arm, giving it a little squeeze.
“That Mike… that guy… he was hitting on me! Me! Xander Harris. Ladies’ man. He thinks I’m gay!”
“He’s supposed to think you’re gay,” Dawn hissed, gesturing for him to be quiet. “What’s wrong with you?”
“He’s supposed to think I’m being gay with Spike,” Xander whispered back. “Not with other guys!”
“Relax, Harris,” Spike said, not bothering to hide his grin. “He’ll know you’re gay with me.” Before Xander could ask what he meant, Spike slid an arm around him and stuck his hand in Xander’s front pocket. Rubbing his thumb against Xander’s hipbone, he purred, “Could show him right now, if you’d like.”
Xander grabbed Spike’s hand and pulled it away from his body, softening his expression when he saw Mike watching them.
“Not now, honey,” he said through gritted teeth. “We don’t want to embarrass Dawnie.”
“Yeah. Let’s not get Dawnie kicked out because her guardians get arrested for having sex in the school cafeteria,” Dawn said, laughing at Xander’s red face. “This is going to be more fun than I thought.”
“No it isn’t,” Xander said. “Fun time is over. We came, we gayed, we ate cookies - it’s time to go home and just be us.”
“I can’t leave yet,” Dawn said. “I can’t leave until all the parents have left and all the cookies are gone.”
“No problem.” Xander began stuffing cookies in his mouth, elbowing Spike in the ribs. “Come on, fangface, do your part.”
“Why? I’m not in a hurry to leave. Maybe we can sneak off to a dark corner and….” Xander coughed and gagged on his mouthful of cookies, unable to prevent Spike from pounding him on the back. “I’m sorry, pet. I didn’t mean to make you choke. If I wanted to do that, I’d have used something more interesting than cookies.”
Xander’s coughing redoubled, bringing Mike running up to the table.
“Are you all right? Can I get you anything?” He hovered over Xander, giving a grinning Spike a fierce glare. “What did you say to him?” he asked.
“Nothing. I was just kidding with him, and when he laughed the cookies went down the wrong way. He’s fine, aren’t you, darlin’?” Spike began to rub Xander’s back and murmur endearments to him. With a final worried frown at Xander, Mike began to move away. He turned to Dawn and suggested she wrap it up for the night so that her brother and his friend could go home and take care of Xander’s throat. When a teacher called him over to meet a set of parents, he gave a sigh and reluctantly moved away, giving Xander a last, lingering smile as he did so.
“Think you’ve got an admirer there, pet,” Spike said, keeping his arm around Xander and continuing to rub his back, even though Mike was no longer watching them.
“Whoopee, with a side order of wonderful,” Xander muttered, wincing as he pulled the words from his abused throat. “Now I can never enter this building unless you’re with me.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let the big bad poof get you. You’re mine.” Spike ran his hand over Xander’s ass and then turned to Dawn. “You ready to go, Bit? You’ve got permission to take off.”
“Yeah, okay. Let’s go. I’ve probably made enough brownie points just by showing up.”
~~~~~~~~
Dawn went to her room as soon as they got home, insisting that she didn’t need any help with her homework because it was just reading a book. She waved her goodnight and ran up the stairs, watched by both men.
“She seems to be doing okay, don’t you think?”
Spike shrugged. “She’s doing the best she can - just like the rest of us. She still cries sometimes. But not every night like at first.”
“I wonder what the girls would say if they knew you can hear… and smell… everything they do?”
“Let’s just keep that between us, yeah? I think Red might turn me into a toad if she knew I could hear them….”
“You can hear them? When they… I think I need to sit down. Possibly with a drink.”
“It’s downstairs. Nothing but beer, though.” He turned away and started down the stairs, closely followed by Xander.
“I don’t think beer is going to be strong enough to…. You can really hear them? From all the way down here?”
Spike shrugged. “Not always down here, am I? And yeah, I can hear a lot. Can hear your heart beating now.” He stepped closer. “Could hear it speed up when I stuck my hand in your pocket back at the school.”
“Leave my heartbeat out of this conversation. We were talking about girls - women - not… not your hands in inappropriate places.”
“What was inappropriate about it? If I’d been a bird, you wouldn’t have thought twice about it… even if it was making your pants a little tight….”
“My pants were fine! Are fine! My heart beat faster because I was embarrassed. That’s all.”
“Alright. Have it your way. You don’t find me sexy. I get it.” Spike took a can of beer out of a cooler and sat down, popping his can open and saluting Xander with it. “Here’s to pretending to be a gay couple without actually doing anything about it.”
“Exactly!” Xander slid his eyes sideways as he took a big swallow. He watched as Spike squirmed on the couch until he was almost lying down, his legs stretched out in front of him, open and relaxed. One hand rested on his hip, his fingers almost touching his crotch. He studiously ignored Xander, who was sincerely hoping that his heart rate had not just gone as high as he was afraid it had. He yanked his eyes away from the taut, strong body next to him and gulped down the rest of his beer. “I’m not gay! Not that there’s anything wrong with that…” he added quickly, a response that had become automatic since Willow and Tara had become a couple.
“I’m not gay either,” Spike said with a sigh. “But I don’t feel a need to be sayin’ so all the time. Don’t know who you’re tryin’ to convince.”
“You!” Xander said, grabbing another beer from the cooler and almost spilling it in his haste to get it open. “I’m trying to convince… I’m trying to get you to understand that we’re just pretending, and you keep…. Argh!” He tipped the can up and drained it without looking at Spike again. He reached for his third can, flinching when Spike’s hand touched his arm.
“Easy there, Harris. Your virtue’s safe with me. No need to drink all my beer to brass me off. I’m not trying to seduce you.”
“You’re not?” Xander cursed the slight tinge of disappointment that slipped out in his voice.
“Nah,” Spike said, sliding closer. “If I was tryin’ to seduce you, I’d be sitting over here… beside you. And I’d be looking for excuses to touch you, like this…” Spike slid a hand behind Xander and began massaging his neck. “You’re so tense. No need to be like that around me. It’s just old, harmless Spike.” He put down his beer can and moved behind Xander, now using both hands to rub the tight, tense shoulders in front of him. “Just relax. See? Isn’t that better?” Spike continued to work Xander’s muscles in a surprisingly skillful manner, until Xander relaxed in spite of himself.
“Oh God, that feels so good….” He bit back a moan just in time, although Spike’s quiet chuckle told him he wasn’t fooling the vampire. He rolled his head back, his eyes meeting Spike’s. “You lied, didn’t you? When you said you weren’t trying to seduce me. You lied.”
“Might have,” Spike admitted. “You want me to stop?” His hands continued their soothing stroking, now moving down Xander’s back and working the muscles there. When Spike’s hands slid around to move up and down Xander’s ribs and began edging their way to his chest, he stopped pretending he wasn’t caressing the other man’s torso. One hand went up to rub lightly over a hardened nipple, the other stroking along his belt. Spike slid a finger under Xander’s belt, just brushing the skin on his stomach. Xander’s increased breathing and pounding heart couldn’t be denied, so he didn’t try.
Instead, he put his own hands on top of Spike’s, stopping their stroking, and holding them still.
“Just ‘old, harmless Spike’ huh?” He gave a shaky laugh. “There is nothing harmless about you.”
Spike gave a soft snort of laughter, his cool breath across the back of Xander’s neck sending a shiver through the other man. “I’m just pulling your chain,” he said, moving his hands away. “Know you’re not ready for the real thing yet. I was just givin’ you a little taste.”
“N… nice taste,” Xander croaked out. He moved away from Spike and finally met his eyes. “But I’m not-”
“If you say you’re not gay one more time, I’m going to bite you - headache or not.”
Xander shook his head. “I wasn’t. I was just going to say… I’m not ready…”
Spike nodded, watching as Xander stood up and moved toward the base of the stairs. “But you will be,” he predicted. “You will be.”
“I hate it when he’s right,” he muttered as he ran up the stairs.
“I heard that!”
“Bite me!” Xander yelled back, cursing himself immediately as laughter drifted up the stairs.
The end
And two post Gift drabbles - one Spike, one Spike and Dawn
They all left. Dawn spared a glance before following after the watcher and his too-still burden, her own grief only too visible in her blank eyes. Harris cared only for getting his demon-girl to the hospital; and the two witches were too busy mourning the Slayer and quietly rejoicing at Tara’s recovery to notice his broken legs. Didn’t matter. Didn’t want to live anyway - the image of Buffy’s broken body burned into his retinas. Animal instinct dragged his broken body under a piece of debris, even as the spirit inhabiting it wanted to remain until the sun ended his misery.
Spike/Dawn/M & Ms
“What are you doing?”
“Stealin’ your candy.”
“Well, stop it! You don’t eat candy.”
“I like M&Ms.” He reached for more. “They don’t melt in my hand.”
“You’re a freaking vampire! Nothing melts in your hand.”
Spike growled and stretched forward again.
“Don’t take those!”
Her hand slapped down over the small pile of yellow M&Ms. At the sight of her trembling lip, Spike’s retort died in his throat.
“Alright, pet. There a reason you have them all separated like that?”
“Force of habit,” she whispered, staring at the sunny little candies on the table. “Buffy always wanted….” She took a shuddering breath then shoved them towards Spike. “Here. I guess it’s silly now.”
“Not silly.” His voice was rough as he covered her trembling hand with his own. “Never silly.”
They all left. Dawn spared a glance before following after the watcher and his too-still burden, her own grief only too visible in her blank eyes. Harris cared only for getting his demon-girl to the hospital; and the two witches were too busy mourning the Slayer and quietly rejoicing at Tara’s recovery to notice his broken legs. Didn’t matter. Didn’t want to live anyway - the image of Buffy’s broken body burned into his retinas. Animal instinct dragged his broken body under a piece of debris, even as the spirit inhabiting it wanted to remain until the sun ended his misery.
Spike/Dawn/M & Ms
“What are you doing?”
“Stealin’ your candy.”
“Well, stop it! You don’t eat candy.”
“I like M&Ms.” He reached for more. “They don’t melt in my hand.”
“You’re a freaking vampire! Nothing melts in your hand.”
Spike growled and stretched forward again.
“Don’t take those!”
Her hand slapped down over the small pile of yellow M&Ms. At the sight of her trembling lip, Spike’s retort died in his throat.
“Alright, pet. There a reason you have them all separated like that?”
“Force of habit,” she whispered, staring at the sunny little candies on the table. “Buffy always wanted….” She took a shuddering breath then shoved them towards Spike. “Here. I guess it’s silly now.”
“Not silly.” His voice was rough as he covered her trembling hand with his own. “Never silly.”