Fic: On The Road To Somewhere. Liam/Spike. NC-17. 3b/3
Continued from here
“Did you check the bulletin board? Maybe there was another flight? Maybe…”
Liam sighed. He was never giving Spike an espresso again. Or let him eat two donuts in a row. “Relax. It’s only been forty minutes. It takes time to get through customs, especially these days.”
“Oh God. Maybe they arrested him! He’s got a pin in his leg, you know? It probably set off the bloody alarms! Oh Christ!”
“Spike, please, calm down.”
The fact that the airport didn’t allow smoking meant that Spike had nothing to help ease his nerves and he was getting more and more restless. His normal fidgeting behaviour had ten-folded and his hands were twitching for something to do. Liam had stopped him from gnawing his cuticles when the nails had already been butchered to almost non-existence but now he was tightening his hands into fists making Liam relieved there really were no nails left because surely they would have dug holes into his palms by now.
“What if they won’t let him into the country? They think everyone’s a terrorist these days. Because my dad… He can look terrifying when he’s mad. Like if he was thinking of how much he wants to kick my bloody arse for running off and his face got all grr and they thought he was gonna bomb something. Honestly, he gets this look in his eye…”
“Spike!”
“This one time he caught me and my mate Jack behind the house and we had these matches and, I thought he was gonna kill me. Seriously, his face got all red and-mmm.”
There really was only one way to shut him up and Liam thought it was worth being possibly thrown out of the airport for indecent behaviour. It worked double ways because Spike’s ramblings had been pulling Liam closer and closer to the edge himself and if there was one sure way to erase whatever had been bothering you from your mind it was having Spike’s tongue down your throat. Or your tongue down his throat. Or possibly your tongue and teeth on his throat but that would have to wait until later when they weren’t standing in the middle of the JFK airport with Spike’s dad on his wa-
“Ehem.”
Liam opened his eyes to find a handsome man in his fifties standing two feet away, watching them through wire-rimmed glasses. Even if Liam had never seen a picture of Spike’s father he would have recognised those cool blue eyes anywhere. Spike was right, his dad was a scary man when he was angry.
“Think you can let go of my son long enough to allow him to greet his father properly?”
The voice was calm but cold and Spike, who until then had seemed oblivious to his father’s arrival, stiffened in Liam’s arms and then pulled away so quickly Liam almost fell over. “Dad!”
“William.”
For the longest time Liam thought that either Spike’s father would start yelling or Spike himself would bolt. The tension in the air was so palpable he could almost smell it, with father and son staring at each other, more like enemies at the final stand than long lost relatives. When Mr. Giles finally moved, Liam instinctively stepped closer to Spike, but backed away when the fight he’d been expecting did not happen but instead Spike was pulled into his father’s arms and held tight.
“You stupid, stupid boy. Do you know how scared I’ve been for you? Could you not imagine?” His voice trembled and he clutched his son even harder to his chest. “God help me, I should slap you, you arrogant child.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, dad.” Spike shook, his voice so small he sounded nowhere near his seventeen years. “I was just so angry.”
“I know. I know.” Mr. Giles closed his eyes. “God, I never meant for this to happen. Please forgive me.”
Liam stood back and allowed them their moment of privacy. He couldn’t imagine what it’d been like for Spike’s father to have been separated from his son for three years, and not having any clue of his whereabouts or if he was even alive, for the last two. He expected that there would be a fallout later, with blame and guilt being thrown both ways, but for now it was enough for them to know that they still had each other, whatever that entailed.
Finally Spike’s father pushed him gently away and stood back to look at him. “Well, you’ve certainly grown up.” His eyes glittered. “You look more like your mother than ever.”
Spike hitched his breath, teeth digging into his upper lip. “Yeah? Really?” he asked, almost hopefully.
“Really.” Mr. Giles tilted his head in a way that would have had Liam grinning at the similarity to Spike under any other circumstances. “Well, not the hair. What on earth have you done to it? Dipped it in bleach?” He shook his head as Spike ran his fingers through his hair with a frown. “And the clothes…”
Spike stiffened. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Here we go, Liam thought. “Mr. Giles,” he interjected quickly and offered the man his most earnest smile. “You must be tired after your long flight. Maybe we should postpone this until we get somewhere more private?”
The man glared at Liam with a look of disdain. “Mr. Willard, I presume? Seeing as you had my son’s face attached to yours only a moment ago.”
“Dad!” Spike hissed and stepped closer to Liam, slipping one arm around his waist. “You’re being rude!”
“It’s alright.” Liam put a hand on Spike’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “Yes, I’m Liam Willard. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” He stuck out his hand.
“I’ll reserve the right to say ‘likewise’ until later, if you don’t mind.” Mr. Giles ignored the hand but grabbed his suitcase and straightened up. “Shall we?” He started toward the exit.
Liam and Spike looked at each other with a matching ‘eek’ expression and then hurried after him.
The silence in the car on the way to their apartment was cold enough to make Liam shiver despite the stifling heat as the sun bore mercilessly down on them. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at Spike who sat subdued, staring down into his lap. As uncomfortable as Liam was feeling he was sure Spike was ten times worse. Despite his brave face the night before he’d been worried sick about his father’s reaction to both him and his relationship with Liam and had spent hours tossing and turning in their bed. This morning Liam had listened to him throw up in the bathroom and when he emerged he was looking slightly green around the edges with a sheen of sweat covering his face.
He wasn’t looking much better now and by the twitching of his hands he was aching for a cigarette. Liam doubted the man sitting stiff and silent in the passenger seat beside him would take kindly to his son rolling down the window and lighting up. It was probably enough of a shock to find that your fourteen year old somewhat wayward child had turned into a seventeen year old leather-wearing, bleach-haired gay punk, without adding smoking to the mix. Probably best to hide the beer as well. He just prayed that there wasn’t a tube of KY or a condom wrapper left on display anywhere in the apartment. These things had a tendency to be left behind in the strangest of places.
“Here we are,” he said unnaturally cheerily as they drove up to the apartment building. They got out of the car and Liam at once reached for Mr. Giles suitcase but was warned off with a glare. Keeping his smile as natural as he could manage he unlocked the door and let them inside the building. After pushing the elevator button about fifteen times it became obvious that it was once again broken and he gave Spike’s father an apologetic smile before leading the way to the staircase. As he ascended the stairs he was painfully aware of Mr. Giles’ eyes drilling into his back and suspected Spike’s gaze of fondling his ass.
This was going to be a long day.
---------------
They hadn’t really had much time to prepare but it was obvious that Spike’s father couldn’t stay with them. For one thing there was only one bed and, more importantly, even if they’d manage to borrow a mattress somewhere, Liam knew there was no way he could sleep in the same bed as Spike with his father in the next room. The man might know they slept together but there was no reason to rub his nose in it. And, frankly, it was impossible to be in the same bed as Spike and not have something happen. Like loud blowjobs.
Only one look around the place was enough to make Mr. Giles aware of the problem and he turned to Liam with an air of resignation.
“I didn’t have time to make reservations anywhere. Maybe you would be kind enough to make some calls, see what you can find? Nothing too fancy. As long as it has a bed and a shower I’m satisfied.”
It was as plain a dismissal as anything and Liam accepted it with a nod, retiring to the bedroom to make the calls while father and son faced each other in the living room. Liam could hear the murmur of their voices down the hall and through the door but he only caught a word or two when either one of them got agitated and forgot to keep it down. He felt guilty for leaving Spike to face the fire alone but at the same time he knew this was something they had to work out on their own. If things came to blow or if he’d detect any sign of Spike not being able to handle it he’d step up. But until then…
Liam closed his eyes and let himself fall back on the pillows. He couldn’t really see how any of this could turn out well. Apart from the whole mess with Spike being underage and probably illegally in the country after all this time, there was the exhibition and it’s no doubt scandalous reviews, not to mention how he was probably facing eviction after Spike knocked out Lindsey.
Liam couldn’t help smiling despite everything. It really had been priceless, the look on Lindsey’s face when he realised he’d been knocked down by a teenager, and Liam’s lover at that. Liam had no doubt that in a regular fight Lindsey would win. He was both older and physically stronger and had proved himself to be quite ruthless when going after what he wanted. But Spike had taken Lindsey completely by surprise, knocking him out from the left field while his eyes and mind were focused on Liam. He only hoped Lindsey wouldn’t try and take his revenge out on Spike. God knows he had the law on his side if he wanted to go that way.
Liam opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling then turned his head and let his eyes roam over the spacious room. Despite their efforts to tidy up and not let it look like a kinky love nest, the bedroom, as well as the rest of the apartment, bore witness of what they’d been building up the last three weeks. It looked homey, a place where two people lived and loved, and he would be sad to leave. Even if they’d only planned to be here for the summer it felt like their home, not surprising since it was the only place they’d lived in together. He knew Cordy wanted him to stay in New York for as long as the exhibition ran but if it came to it, they’d move home to LA. Of course he didn’t even know if Cordy still wanted his art after what had happened. For all he knew Lindsey had withdrawn his money and that probably left her with no choice but to blow the whole thing off. Even if the critiques had liked his work, the incident last night was sure to have put a negative stamp on the event.
Now that he thought about it he was surprised he hadn’t heard from Cordy at all. He was sure she would be all over him about what had happened, and he suspected reviews might be up at least at the online art sites which he knew she trolled like Spike trolled for porn. He checked his cell but there were no missed calls. He should be worried but for now he was just going to enjoy the silence.
Talking about which… He strained his ears but the voices outside had gone quiet and after waiting a long while for some kind of sign that they were still out there and hearing absolutely nothing, Liam got up off the bed and opened the door. He walked hesitantly along the corridor and checked the kitchen before popping his head into the livingroom.
Spike’s father was standing by the window, back turned. He was staring down at the street below, seeming deep in thought. There was no sign of Spike. Liam stepped back, already planning where to go look for the boy, when Mr. Giles spoke.
“He says he loves you, Mr. Willard. I suppose he believes he does. At seventeen even the silliest crushes seem like the real thing.” He laughed coldly. “If Romeo and Juliet had been in their thirties the story would have ended quite differently, I suspect.”
“Mr. Giles, first of all, please call me Liam.” Liam held the man’s gaze as he turned to him, keeping his voice calm but firm. “Mr. Willard was my father and I have no desire to be him. Second, William might be young but he’s hardly a child. He’s been taking care of himself for two years, travelling across America. That kind of experience, I would say, makes a boy grow up pretty fast.”
Mr. Giles held his stare and then nodded. “Liam. All right. I guess you have a point there. It still doesn’t change the fact that he’s only seventeen years old and you are?”
“Twenty six, sir.” Liam swallowed the guilt he’d been feeling ever since he found out how great their age gap really was. “Which I realise is a lot older than what you would like for your son but…”
“What I would like for my son is for him to be living at home in England with me, dating a sweet young girl of respectable parentage.” Mr. Giles pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and then took off his glasses and started to polish them. “Now clearly that is not going to happen. What I would be willing to settle for is a whole different matter.”
He put on his glasses again and gave Liam a pointed look. “I think this requires tea. You do have tea, don’t you, or has William been completely colonized to coffee?”
Thank God for Spike’s morning after hang over remedies. “Tea. Of course. Kitchen?”
Liam threw Mr. Giles some inconspicuous glances while he put the kettle on and tottered around the kitchen, putting out biscuits and jam and sugar and everything else he could think of. Despite the man’s coldness he wasn’t really hostile and Liam didn’t think it was just because of the cool British approach. In fact, more than anything Mr. Giles looked tired, completely worn out to tell the truth. There were bags under his eyes and lines around his mouth that spoke of tension and worry that had been festering for far too long. Liam felt deeply sorry for him. It must have been hell what Spike had put him through, disappearing like that. Especially as he was probably still mourning for his wife.
He poured them both tea and then sat down on the opposite side of the small table, waiting for Spike’s father to start speaking. He wasn’t sure what to expect but he wasn’t letting Spike go without a fight, that much he knew. He sipped the tea, added another lump of sugar, and was reaching for a biscuit when Mr. Giles cleared his throat.
“I read up on you, what little there was to find. You turned your back on your father and his business - well, law in general - to pursue a life as an artist. I’d like to know why.”
Liam frowned. “Why I became an artist?”
“Why you thought it necessary to go about it that way. From what I understood you had quite the promising career in your field. And yet you decided your art was worth not only throwing that away but cutting all ties with your family as well. Strikes me as odd I must say.”
Liam nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose it does.” He cracked the biscuit in two and then laid both parts down on the table in front of him before looking up, fixing his eyes on Mr. Giles. “I didn’t really cut the ties with my father as much as he cut his ties with me. He had a few problems with my… ‘lifestyle’, once he found out. To put it bluntly, sir, he’d rather have seen me dead than gay.”
Mr. Giles didn’t flinch but his eyes flickered for a moment and he reached for a biscuit of his own, dipping it in the tea before biting into it. He chewed and then swallowed carefully before looking up again. “If you’re worried that I’m going to disown my son for being homosexual then you can rest easy. It’s not what I would have chosen for him but it doesn’t change anything. He’s my son and I love him no matter what.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, Mr. Giles,” Liam said and tempted a small smile. “I hope you told him that, I know he was worried.”
“I don’t know how well he listened but I said as much, yes.” Spike’s father sighed. “Your gender is not what worries me. I would have been just as worried if you were a woman, almost ten years his senior. There is a scale of balance here, Liam, and it’s not tipping in his favour.”
“I wouldn’t…” Liam bit his lip. “It’s not like that.”
Mr. Giles shook his head. “He is young and he is easily influenced. He has a very low income of his own, not enough to support himself. He is living in your flat, eating food you pay for, wearing clothes you bought for him. You have a sexual relationship where you are the one both emotionally and physically stronger. It has all the elements of a kept relationship, with him as the dependant. Am I not right?”
“I guess, if you look at it that way but…”
“Well then, if you please, show me another way to look at it. A way that convinces me that you are not taking advantage of a young boy, alone and far away from home.” Mr. Giles looked up, fixing his eyes on Liam’s. “Because I saw the bruises, Liam, and they do not speak of a relationship built on equality.”
Liam could feel his face turning deep red. He wished he knew what Spike had told his father, if he had spun up some stupid story to explain the marks he’d obviously been unsuccessful at hiding under his collar, or if he’d told the truth. Well, no matter which way he’d gone, Liam only had one option.
“I know it may seem strange to you, because he’s so much younger than me and because we are different in so many ways, but I actually do love your son. I know we’ve only known each other a little over three weeks but that’s still the way it is. I suppose, if I was abusing him, that I would still say that but it’s the truth.” He looked down, stirring his tea as he tried to find the right words.
“I put the bruises there, yes. It wasn’t intentional, by which I mean that they weren’t supposed to be that visible. We… We have our kinks, sir, our preferences, as people do, and we like to indulge in them.” He looked up to find Spike’s father watching him angrily. “I know how it sounds and believe me, I never thought I’d have to explain the sexual part of a relationship to my partner’s parent but you asked and I guess you have a right to know. To some extent at least.”
Mr. Giles nodded, his eyes stone hard. “These kinks… what do they involve? Are we talking Sado-Masochism or…?”
“God, no. Nothing like that.” Liam swallowed. “Light bondage, biting… breathplay. Which is what those marks came from. There was the grand opening of my exhibition last night and Spike was wearing a tie and…” He stopped. Could this really get any more embarrassing?
“You strangled him.” It was not as accusatory as he would have expected.
“I…” Liam faltered. “Yes.”
The eyes staring at him seemed to flicker. “He… likes this?”
Liam couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “To put it mildly, yes.”
“Hmm.” Mr. Giles sipped his tea, a deep frown between his eyebrows. “He had a cat when he was little. It used to sleep on his throat. I kept shoving it away, afraid it would choke him, but he said he liked it. That it calmed him down. Maybe…” He shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Mr. Giles…”
Spike’s father waved his hand. “Just Giles. Please.”
“Giles, sir, I promise you I would never do anything to hurt your son. These games… they’re a part of what we have but they’re not what it’s built on.”
“But how can you be sure?” Giles raised his eyebrows at him. “Where lies the line that separates play from abuse and would you know if you’d crossed it?”
“I trust your son to tell me if things go to far. He’s anything but subdued, sir. In fact I find myself on the receiving end more than often.” Liam suddenly realised what he’d said and flushed red. “I mean, in terms of who dominates whom, emotionally. He bosses me around just as much as I do him. Even more.”
Giles pursed his lips and shook his head. “If he loves you as much as he says he does, he might not tell you, in case it means that he could lose you.”
Liam wanted to growl in frustration. “Look, even if I didn’t know how young he was I’ve always been very aware of the fact that he is young. Which is why I made all that clear to him from the beginning, and have made him reassure me again and again, that this is what he wants. There is no coercion here, believe me. We have talked about all of this, everything you just mentioned, and this is what we both want. I love him and he loves me and that doesn’t have anything to do with what we do in bed.”
Giles clenched his jaw. “I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it, sir. Frankly, I doubt any parent likes to think of their child having a sexual relationship of any kind. A gay kinky one with an older man? Probably not high on the wish-list. But it isn’t about what you like or what you want. It’s about what Spike wants. And I believe he wants me.”
They held each other’s stare for a long time and then finally Giles nodded. “Alright. There’s still the issue of your legal status.”
Liam froze.
“I don’t mean that I’m going to report you. From what I’ve read up on, even if I did want to, there’s actually nothing I can do, not as long as you live here. The legal age of consent in the state of New York is seventeen, which sets it apart from many other states in America. Including the one I believe you otherwise reside in, California.”
Liam blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. He could feel a small part of the huge load on his shoulders lift.
“However, William is still here, in the United States, illegally. Without a special visa he’s only allowed to stay for three months but he’s been here for over two years. If he’s caught, for any reason, he will be deported immediately. Frankly, knowing my son, I’m surprised he hasn’t been already. He doesn’t exactly fly under the radar, so to speak.”
Liam allowed himself a small smile, even if his stomach was clenched in worry. He’d known, of course he had, but he’d been able to ignore it until now. But Spike’s father was right. All it took was Spike drawing some bad attention to himself, like for example by punching a wealthy lawyer in the face, and he could be deported.
“Could he apply for a student visa?”
“Is he studying anything? Besides the art of the Marquis de Sade,” Giles asked sarcastically.
Liam blushed. “Well, no. But I know he wants to. He didn’t even finish high school,” he pointed out.
Giles stiffened but then his shoulders slumped in defeat. “He had a year left until his A-levels when he disappeared. He was an excellent student too, before… before his mother died. I guess he told you about what happened?”
Liam nodded. “He hasn’t touched them since. Drugs, I mean.”
“I handled it badly. I just…” Giles shook his head. “I wasn’t there for him and then I drove him away.” He shuddered suddenly as if overcome with emotion even if his face revealed very little. “He’s changed so much. It’s almost like looking at a stranger. And I’m afraid that he will never let me close again.”
“I’m sure…”
“I was called to the morgue twice last year,” Giles continued, ignoring him. “Each time they lifted the sheet my heart stopped in my chest. And when I saw it wasn’t him…I… I…” He drew in a shaky breath. “I never thought I’d be so glad to see the face of a stranger. A young man, someone else’s son, lay dead before me and I wanted to laugh with joy. Doesn’t that just sicken you?”
Liam swallowed. “I’m so sorry. It must have been horrible for you.”
The man didn’t seem to hear him. “And he doesn’t understand. He thinks I’m being overbearing, that I am meddling with things that don’t concern me. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be the one left behind, waiting by the phone for the news of your child, to know whether he’s alive or lying dead somewhere. Alone and cold and dead.” Giles took off his glasses with a shaky hand, putting them in his breast pocket before covering his eyes with his palm, elbow resting on the table.
Liam didn’t know what to do but when he glanced up he saw he wouldn’t have to do anything. Spike was standing in the doorway, watching his father’s slumped form with a look of horror on his face. As if it had finally dawned on him what he’d done, what he’d made his father go through. Liam got up quietly and walked over to Spike, kissing him gently on the forehead.
“Just talk to him, ok? Everything’s gonna be alright. I love you.”
And then he walked out, leaving the two of them alone. He had a call to make.
-------------------
“Morning.”
Liam blinked his eyes open, squinting against the early morning sun. “Uhng?”
“I made you toast, luv.” Spike pulled the covers off him in one swift motion. “Come on, stop drooling on your pillow and get up.”
Liam yawned and reluctantly sat up. “There better be some coffee with that toast.”
“Only if you get your arse out of bed right this minute. Or I’ll pour it down the drain.”
“You wouldn’t!”
Spike smirked. “Watch me.”
He didn’t make it further than the door before Liam was up and out of bed, rummaging through the drawers for a clean pair of underwear.
“You are the evilest boyfriend in the whole world, you know that?” he grumbled and pulled on his boxers. “And since when are you a morning person?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back to my usual grouchy self tomorrow. But today is a special day.” Spike winked at him. “And I’m not just talking about the blowjob I’m going to give you if you hurry up.”
Liam snorted even if his dick perked up considerably. “I’m not sure that being forced to sit through an hour of boring speeches counts as ‘special’,” he teased and then ducked as Spike swatted at his head. “Ok, ok! Cut it out!”
“Watch it or I’ll withdraw that blowjob offer,” Spike growled and threw open the closet. “And just so you know?” he added, throwing Liam an evil smirk. “I’m wearing a tie.”
Liam gulped. “Yeah?”
“Oh yes. Of course, my dad’s gonna be there so…” Spike shrugged.
“I’m sure he won’t mind us disappearing for a few minutes after the ceremony.” Liam slid up behind Spike and pulled him closer, nibbling at his earlobe. “He’s had his eye on that teacher of yours all winter. Now that you’re graduating he has no reason to hold back anymore. Maybe he’ll need a few minutes of his own.”
“Oh, ok. Seriously? Eeww.” Spike shuddered. “My dad is not shagging anyone. He’s never had sex in his life. In fact, I magically appeared one day after he and my mum spent a day not having sex. Alright?”
“You know, you’re adorable when you’re acting all teenage-y.” Liam laughed when Spike made to punch him. “You are! ‘Seriously.’ Your high school friends are having a bad influence on you. I distinctively heard you say ‘awesome’ yesterday and last week you spent a whole hour watching The O.C.”
“Shut up. It was the season finale, ok?” Spike turned around in his arms and batted his eyes, pitching his voice higher. “I had to know if Ryan and Seth would finally consummate their love.”
Liam chuckled even if he had no idea who these people were. “And did they?”
“Not on screen, no,” Spike pouted. “American television is so bloody pathetic. Can’t wait to catch up with my shows when we go home. I wonder what happened to Todd on Corrie,” he added thoughtfully.
Liam nuzzled into his neck. “If you’re going to spend the whole summer watching television we might as well stay here.”
“Oh quit it. You know you’re looking forward to going to England just as much as I am. Painting the idyllic landscape of Ye Old Country.” Spike snorted. “I’ll be lucky if I get to see you at all.”
“My old country is actually Ireland. I’ve never been there though,” Liam said wistfully.
“We could go?” Spike suggested as he slipped away from Liam and started skimming through his shirts.
“I guess.” Liam shrugged and found the shirt Spike was looking for, handing it to him. “If you can get away from your shows long enough.”
“Duh, they have tellies in Ireland, you know. They’re not all living in the dark ages even if you are.”
“’Duh?’” Liam asked with a smirk.
“Oh, shut up!”
Liam laughed and sat down on the bed under the pretence of putting on his socks when actually he was just watching Spike getting dressed. The boy had grown up the past year, not only mentally but physically as well. He had been far from scrawny when they first met but now his muscles were even more defined and the Californian sun had done his complexion good. It was more in his face though that the difference was evident. His eyes were wiser, his lips expressed more maturity and he held his head with confidence. Liam sometimes got lost in watching Spike just doing every day things that shouldn’t be that intriguing. The way he frowned when he was reading, the small smile he wore when he slept. The way his eyes would light up whenever his father called. The hint of grief twitching his lips whenever he saw women that reminded him of his mother.
Sometimes Liam couldn’t believe they really were here, together. That for some reasons unknown, Fate had decided it was alright for him to have this. It baffled him, in the same way as someone buying one of his paintings or being recognised on the streets by a fan did. He expected to wake up any moment and find himself alone and hungry in a dirty motel room again. That was what his father had sentenced him to and Liam couldn’t help wondering what the bastard would have thought of all this. If given time he’d come to his senses or if his son being a well-known artist with friends in high places meant nothing as long as he was still gay. He suspected so. Not that it mattered.
Things could have turned out quite differently and he shuddered to think what that meant. Lindsey could have had Spike arrested for assault and probably would have if Cordy hadn’t threatened to call his wife and tell her about the quick and, according to her, rather unsatisfying sex they’d had in his hotel room after she patched him up. “If it was so quick and unsatisfying, how come you were still there when I called you?” Liam asked with a grin and was told by a blushing Cordy to mind his own damn business if he wanted her help.
When it came to his exhibition it seemed the fight between “young Liam’s unknown lovers” had only served to make him more interesting in the eyes of the media. He’d sold more than half of his paintings that weekend and from there things only got better. And if anything, living with Spike only improved his work, allowing his imagination to see what he’d never even dreamed off before. Not that he would ever tell Spike that, there was a limit to how cocky Liam could allow him to get.
They’d been able to keep the apartment throughout the summer, thanks again to Cordy’s amazing ‘persuasion skills’ and by the time school started they were back in Los Angeles. Spike was then still four months short of his eighteenth birthday so officially he was an exchange student, living with a distant relative. He’d aced all the tests necessary to allow him to attend the senior year at Belmont High School and had been doing extremely well all year. He hadn’t been eighteen for more than a few hours before he was kissing Liam on the front steps of his school, indifferent of his fellow students whistling and snapping pictures with their cell phones. When he’d finally allowed Liam to pull away, flushed red and sure that someone would stalk up to them and arrest him despite them for once not doing anything illegal, Spike took a bow for their audience, a huge smile on his face. The memory still made Liam smile. And cringe. And harden in his pants.
“You brooding, luv?”
Liam woke up from his musings to find Spike watching him with concern. He shook his head and smiled. “Nah. Just wondering if you’re really gonna need pants under the gown. I mean, as long as it isn’t too windy…” He shrugged and grinned suggestively.
Spike laughed and wiggled his ass at him as he flipped through the rack of ties. “You old pervert. You sure you want to be giving me ideas like that?” He stopped, tilting his head as his eyes got a far-away look. “I can just see the headlines: ‘Liam Willard’s protégé arrested for mooning the audience at his high school graduation.’”
“You know, at one time or another they’re gonna realise you’re not so much my protégé as my constant pain in the ass.”
“I think it’s called ‘boyfriend’ and yes, I think they will.” He walked over until he was standing between Liam’s legs where he sat on the bed. “Probably today when I get off that stage and snog you in front of everyone and their mother.”
Liam smiled. “Yeah?”
Spike grinned and pushed him back on the bed. “Oh yeah. Now what did we decide about that blowjob?”
“That you were gonna give me one?” Liam suggested hopefully.
The blue silk slipped between Spike’s fingers. “With or without the tie?”
Fin
“Did you check the bulletin board? Maybe there was another flight? Maybe…”
Liam sighed. He was never giving Spike an espresso again. Or let him eat two donuts in a row. “Relax. It’s only been forty minutes. It takes time to get through customs, especially these days.”
“Oh God. Maybe they arrested him! He’s got a pin in his leg, you know? It probably set off the bloody alarms! Oh Christ!”
“Spike, please, calm down.”
The fact that the airport didn’t allow smoking meant that Spike had nothing to help ease his nerves and he was getting more and more restless. His normal fidgeting behaviour had ten-folded and his hands were twitching for something to do. Liam had stopped him from gnawing his cuticles when the nails had already been butchered to almost non-existence but now he was tightening his hands into fists making Liam relieved there really were no nails left because surely they would have dug holes into his palms by now.
“What if they won’t let him into the country? They think everyone’s a terrorist these days. Because my dad… He can look terrifying when he’s mad. Like if he was thinking of how much he wants to kick my bloody arse for running off and his face got all grr and they thought he was gonna bomb something. Honestly, he gets this look in his eye…”
“Spike!”
“This one time he caught me and my mate Jack behind the house and we had these matches and, I thought he was gonna kill me. Seriously, his face got all red and-mmm.”
There really was only one way to shut him up and Liam thought it was worth being possibly thrown out of the airport for indecent behaviour. It worked double ways because Spike’s ramblings had been pulling Liam closer and closer to the edge himself and if there was one sure way to erase whatever had been bothering you from your mind it was having Spike’s tongue down your throat. Or your tongue down his throat. Or possibly your tongue and teeth on his throat but that would have to wait until later when they weren’t standing in the middle of the JFK airport with Spike’s dad on his wa-
“Ehem.”
Liam opened his eyes to find a handsome man in his fifties standing two feet away, watching them through wire-rimmed glasses. Even if Liam had never seen a picture of Spike’s father he would have recognised those cool blue eyes anywhere. Spike was right, his dad was a scary man when he was angry.
“Think you can let go of my son long enough to allow him to greet his father properly?”
The voice was calm but cold and Spike, who until then had seemed oblivious to his father’s arrival, stiffened in Liam’s arms and then pulled away so quickly Liam almost fell over. “Dad!”
“William.”
For the longest time Liam thought that either Spike’s father would start yelling or Spike himself would bolt. The tension in the air was so palpable he could almost smell it, with father and son staring at each other, more like enemies at the final stand than long lost relatives. When Mr. Giles finally moved, Liam instinctively stepped closer to Spike, but backed away when the fight he’d been expecting did not happen but instead Spike was pulled into his father’s arms and held tight.
“You stupid, stupid boy. Do you know how scared I’ve been for you? Could you not imagine?” His voice trembled and he clutched his son even harder to his chest. “God help me, I should slap you, you arrogant child.”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, dad.” Spike shook, his voice so small he sounded nowhere near his seventeen years. “I was just so angry.”
“I know. I know.” Mr. Giles closed his eyes. “God, I never meant for this to happen. Please forgive me.”
Liam stood back and allowed them their moment of privacy. He couldn’t imagine what it’d been like for Spike’s father to have been separated from his son for three years, and not having any clue of his whereabouts or if he was even alive, for the last two. He expected that there would be a fallout later, with blame and guilt being thrown both ways, but for now it was enough for them to know that they still had each other, whatever that entailed.
Finally Spike’s father pushed him gently away and stood back to look at him. “Well, you’ve certainly grown up.” His eyes glittered. “You look more like your mother than ever.”
Spike hitched his breath, teeth digging into his upper lip. “Yeah? Really?” he asked, almost hopefully.
“Really.” Mr. Giles tilted his head in a way that would have had Liam grinning at the similarity to Spike under any other circumstances. “Well, not the hair. What on earth have you done to it? Dipped it in bleach?” He shook his head as Spike ran his fingers through his hair with a frown. “And the clothes…”
Spike stiffened. “What’s wrong with my clothes?”
Here we go, Liam thought. “Mr. Giles,” he interjected quickly and offered the man his most earnest smile. “You must be tired after your long flight. Maybe we should postpone this until we get somewhere more private?”
The man glared at Liam with a look of disdain. “Mr. Willard, I presume? Seeing as you had my son’s face attached to yours only a moment ago.”
“Dad!” Spike hissed and stepped closer to Liam, slipping one arm around his waist. “You’re being rude!”
“It’s alright.” Liam put a hand on Spike’s shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. “Yes, I’m Liam Willard. It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.” He stuck out his hand.
“I’ll reserve the right to say ‘likewise’ until later, if you don’t mind.” Mr. Giles ignored the hand but grabbed his suitcase and straightened up. “Shall we?” He started toward the exit.
Liam and Spike looked at each other with a matching ‘eek’ expression and then hurried after him.
The silence in the car on the way to their apartment was cold enough to make Liam shiver despite the stifling heat as the sun bore mercilessly down on them. He glanced in the rear-view mirror at Spike who sat subdued, staring down into his lap. As uncomfortable as Liam was feeling he was sure Spike was ten times worse. Despite his brave face the night before he’d been worried sick about his father’s reaction to both him and his relationship with Liam and had spent hours tossing and turning in their bed. This morning Liam had listened to him throw up in the bathroom and when he emerged he was looking slightly green around the edges with a sheen of sweat covering his face.
He wasn’t looking much better now and by the twitching of his hands he was aching for a cigarette. Liam doubted the man sitting stiff and silent in the passenger seat beside him would take kindly to his son rolling down the window and lighting up. It was probably enough of a shock to find that your fourteen year old somewhat wayward child had turned into a seventeen year old leather-wearing, bleach-haired gay punk, without adding smoking to the mix. Probably best to hide the beer as well. He just prayed that there wasn’t a tube of KY or a condom wrapper left on display anywhere in the apartment. These things had a tendency to be left behind in the strangest of places.
“Here we are,” he said unnaturally cheerily as they drove up to the apartment building. They got out of the car and Liam at once reached for Mr. Giles suitcase but was warned off with a glare. Keeping his smile as natural as he could manage he unlocked the door and let them inside the building. After pushing the elevator button about fifteen times it became obvious that it was once again broken and he gave Spike’s father an apologetic smile before leading the way to the staircase. As he ascended the stairs he was painfully aware of Mr. Giles’ eyes drilling into his back and suspected Spike’s gaze of fondling his ass.
This was going to be a long day.
---------------
They hadn’t really had much time to prepare but it was obvious that Spike’s father couldn’t stay with them. For one thing there was only one bed and, more importantly, even if they’d manage to borrow a mattress somewhere, Liam knew there was no way he could sleep in the same bed as Spike with his father in the next room. The man might know they slept together but there was no reason to rub his nose in it. And, frankly, it was impossible to be in the same bed as Spike and not have something happen. Like loud blowjobs.
Only one look around the place was enough to make Mr. Giles aware of the problem and he turned to Liam with an air of resignation.
“I didn’t have time to make reservations anywhere. Maybe you would be kind enough to make some calls, see what you can find? Nothing too fancy. As long as it has a bed and a shower I’m satisfied.”
It was as plain a dismissal as anything and Liam accepted it with a nod, retiring to the bedroom to make the calls while father and son faced each other in the living room. Liam could hear the murmur of their voices down the hall and through the door but he only caught a word or two when either one of them got agitated and forgot to keep it down. He felt guilty for leaving Spike to face the fire alone but at the same time he knew this was something they had to work out on their own. If things came to blow or if he’d detect any sign of Spike not being able to handle it he’d step up. But until then…
Liam closed his eyes and let himself fall back on the pillows. He couldn’t really see how any of this could turn out well. Apart from the whole mess with Spike being underage and probably illegally in the country after all this time, there was the exhibition and it’s no doubt scandalous reviews, not to mention how he was probably facing eviction after Spike knocked out Lindsey.
Liam couldn’t help smiling despite everything. It really had been priceless, the look on Lindsey’s face when he realised he’d been knocked down by a teenager, and Liam’s lover at that. Liam had no doubt that in a regular fight Lindsey would win. He was both older and physically stronger and had proved himself to be quite ruthless when going after what he wanted. But Spike had taken Lindsey completely by surprise, knocking him out from the left field while his eyes and mind were focused on Liam. He only hoped Lindsey wouldn’t try and take his revenge out on Spike. God knows he had the law on his side if he wanted to go that way.
Liam opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling then turned his head and let his eyes roam over the spacious room. Despite their efforts to tidy up and not let it look like a kinky love nest, the bedroom, as well as the rest of the apartment, bore witness of what they’d been building up the last three weeks. It looked homey, a place where two people lived and loved, and he would be sad to leave. Even if they’d only planned to be here for the summer it felt like their home, not surprising since it was the only place they’d lived in together. He knew Cordy wanted him to stay in New York for as long as the exhibition ran but if it came to it, they’d move home to LA. Of course he didn’t even know if Cordy still wanted his art after what had happened. For all he knew Lindsey had withdrawn his money and that probably left her with no choice but to blow the whole thing off. Even if the critiques had liked his work, the incident last night was sure to have put a negative stamp on the event.
Now that he thought about it he was surprised he hadn’t heard from Cordy at all. He was sure she would be all over him about what had happened, and he suspected reviews might be up at least at the online art sites which he knew she trolled like Spike trolled for porn. He checked his cell but there were no missed calls. He should be worried but for now he was just going to enjoy the silence.
Talking about which… He strained his ears but the voices outside had gone quiet and after waiting a long while for some kind of sign that they were still out there and hearing absolutely nothing, Liam got up off the bed and opened the door. He walked hesitantly along the corridor and checked the kitchen before popping his head into the livingroom.
Spike’s father was standing by the window, back turned. He was staring down at the street below, seeming deep in thought. There was no sign of Spike. Liam stepped back, already planning where to go look for the boy, when Mr. Giles spoke.
“He says he loves you, Mr. Willard. I suppose he believes he does. At seventeen even the silliest crushes seem like the real thing.” He laughed coldly. “If Romeo and Juliet had been in their thirties the story would have ended quite differently, I suspect.”
“Mr. Giles, first of all, please call me Liam.” Liam held the man’s gaze as he turned to him, keeping his voice calm but firm. “Mr. Willard was my father and I have no desire to be him. Second, William might be young but he’s hardly a child. He’s been taking care of himself for two years, travelling across America. That kind of experience, I would say, makes a boy grow up pretty fast.”
Mr. Giles held his stare and then nodded. “Liam. All right. I guess you have a point there. It still doesn’t change the fact that he’s only seventeen years old and you are?”
“Twenty six, sir.” Liam swallowed the guilt he’d been feeling ever since he found out how great their age gap really was. “Which I realise is a lot older than what you would like for your son but…”
“What I would like for my son is for him to be living at home in England with me, dating a sweet young girl of respectable parentage.” Mr. Giles pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and then took off his glasses and started to polish them. “Now clearly that is not going to happen. What I would be willing to settle for is a whole different matter.”
He put on his glasses again and gave Liam a pointed look. “I think this requires tea. You do have tea, don’t you, or has William been completely colonized to coffee?”
Thank God for Spike’s morning after hang over remedies. “Tea. Of course. Kitchen?”
Liam threw Mr. Giles some inconspicuous glances while he put the kettle on and tottered around the kitchen, putting out biscuits and jam and sugar and everything else he could think of. Despite the man’s coldness he wasn’t really hostile and Liam didn’t think it was just because of the cool British approach. In fact, more than anything Mr. Giles looked tired, completely worn out to tell the truth. There were bags under his eyes and lines around his mouth that spoke of tension and worry that had been festering for far too long. Liam felt deeply sorry for him. It must have been hell what Spike had put him through, disappearing like that. Especially as he was probably still mourning for his wife.
He poured them both tea and then sat down on the opposite side of the small table, waiting for Spike’s father to start speaking. He wasn’t sure what to expect but he wasn’t letting Spike go without a fight, that much he knew. He sipped the tea, added another lump of sugar, and was reaching for a biscuit when Mr. Giles cleared his throat.
“I read up on you, what little there was to find. You turned your back on your father and his business - well, law in general - to pursue a life as an artist. I’d like to know why.”
Liam frowned. “Why I became an artist?”
“Why you thought it necessary to go about it that way. From what I understood you had quite the promising career in your field. And yet you decided your art was worth not only throwing that away but cutting all ties with your family as well. Strikes me as odd I must say.”
Liam nodded thoughtfully. “I suppose it does.” He cracked the biscuit in two and then laid both parts down on the table in front of him before looking up, fixing his eyes on Mr. Giles. “I didn’t really cut the ties with my father as much as he cut his ties with me. He had a few problems with my… ‘lifestyle’, once he found out. To put it bluntly, sir, he’d rather have seen me dead than gay.”
Mr. Giles didn’t flinch but his eyes flickered for a moment and he reached for a biscuit of his own, dipping it in the tea before biting into it. He chewed and then swallowed carefully before looking up again. “If you’re worried that I’m going to disown my son for being homosexual then you can rest easy. It’s not what I would have chosen for him but it doesn’t change anything. He’s my son and I love him no matter what.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, Mr. Giles,” Liam said and tempted a small smile. “I hope you told him that, I know he was worried.”
“I don’t know how well he listened but I said as much, yes.” Spike’s father sighed. “Your gender is not what worries me. I would have been just as worried if you were a woman, almost ten years his senior. There is a scale of balance here, Liam, and it’s not tipping in his favour.”
“I wouldn’t…” Liam bit his lip. “It’s not like that.”
Mr. Giles shook his head. “He is young and he is easily influenced. He has a very low income of his own, not enough to support himself. He is living in your flat, eating food you pay for, wearing clothes you bought for him. You have a sexual relationship where you are the one both emotionally and physically stronger. It has all the elements of a kept relationship, with him as the dependant. Am I not right?”
“I guess, if you look at it that way but…”
“Well then, if you please, show me another way to look at it. A way that convinces me that you are not taking advantage of a young boy, alone and far away from home.” Mr. Giles looked up, fixing his eyes on Liam’s. “Because I saw the bruises, Liam, and they do not speak of a relationship built on equality.”
Liam could feel his face turning deep red. He wished he knew what Spike had told his father, if he had spun up some stupid story to explain the marks he’d obviously been unsuccessful at hiding under his collar, or if he’d told the truth. Well, no matter which way he’d gone, Liam only had one option.
“I know it may seem strange to you, because he’s so much younger than me and because we are different in so many ways, but I actually do love your son. I know we’ve only known each other a little over three weeks but that’s still the way it is. I suppose, if I was abusing him, that I would still say that but it’s the truth.” He looked down, stirring his tea as he tried to find the right words.
“I put the bruises there, yes. It wasn’t intentional, by which I mean that they weren’t supposed to be that visible. We… We have our kinks, sir, our preferences, as people do, and we like to indulge in them.” He looked up to find Spike’s father watching him angrily. “I know how it sounds and believe me, I never thought I’d have to explain the sexual part of a relationship to my partner’s parent but you asked and I guess you have a right to know. To some extent at least.”
Mr. Giles nodded, his eyes stone hard. “These kinks… what do they involve? Are we talking Sado-Masochism or…?”
“God, no. Nothing like that.” Liam swallowed. “Light bondage, biting… breathplay. Which is what those marks came from. There was the grand opening of my exhibition last night and Spike was wearing a tie and…” He stopped. Could this really get any more embarrassing?
“You strangled him.” It was not as accusatory as he would have expected.
“I…” Liam faltered. “Yes.”
The eyes staring at him seemed to flicker. “He… likes this?”
Liam couldn’t help the small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “To put it mildly, yes.”
“Hmm.” Mr. Giles sipped his tea, a deep frown between his eyebrows. “He had a cat when he was little. It used to sleep on his throat. I kept shoving it away, afraid it would choke him, but he said he liked it. That it calmed him down. Maybe…” He shrugged. “Who knows?”
“Mr. Giles…”
Spike’s father waved his hand. “Just Giles. Please.”
“Giles, sir, I promise you I would never do anything to hurt your son. These games… they’re a part of what we have but they’re not what it’s built on.”
“But how can you be sure?” Giles raised his eyebrows at him. “Where lies the line that separates play from abuse and would you know if you’d crossed it?”
“I trust your son to tell me if things go to far. He’s anything but subdued, sir. In fact I find myself on the receiving end more than often.” Liam suddenly realised what he’d said and flushed red. “I mean, in terms of who dominates whom, emotionally. He bosses me around just as much as I do him. Even more.”
Giles pursed his lips and shook his head. “If he loves you as much as he says he does, he might not tell you, in case it means that he could lose you.”
Liam wanted to growl in frustration. “Look, even if I didn’t know how young he was I’ve always been very aware of the fact that he is young. Which is why I made all that clear to him from the beginning, and have made him reassure me again and again, that this is what he wants. There is no coercion here, believe me. We have talked about all of this, everything you just mentioned, and this is what we both want. I love him and he loves me and that doesn’t have anything to do with what we do in bed.”
Giles clenched his jaw. “I don’t like it.”
“You don’t have to like it, sir. Frankly, I doubt any parent likes to think of their child having a sexual relationship of any kind. A gay kinky one with an older man? Probably not high on the wish-list. But it isn’t about what you like or what you want. It’s about what Spike wants. And I believe he wants me.”
They held each other’s stare for a long time and then finally Giles nodded. “Alright. There’s still the issue of your legal status.”
Liam froze.
“I don’t mean that I’m going to report you. From what I’ve read up on, even if I did want to, there’s actually nothing I can do, not as long as you live here. The legal age of consent in the state of New York is seventeen, which sets it apart from many other states in America. Including the one I believe you otherwise reside in, California.”
Liam blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. He could feel a small part of the huge load on his shoulders lift.
“However, William is still here, in the United States, illegally. Without a special visa he’s only allowed to stay for three months but he’s been here for over two years. If he’s caught, for any reason, he will be deported immediately. Frankly, knowing my son, I’m surprised he hasn’t been already. He doesn’t exactly fly under the radar, so to speak.”
Liam allowed himself a small smile, even if his stomach was clenched in worry. He’d known, of course he had, but he’d been able to ignore it until now. But Spike’s father was right. All it took was Spike drawing some bad attention to himself, like for example by punching a wealthy lawyer in the face, and he could be deported.
“Could he apply for a student visa?”
“Is he studying anything? Besides the art of the Marquis de Sade,” Giles asked sarcastically.
Liam blushed. “Well, no. But I know he wants to. He didn’t even finish high school,” he pointed out.
Giles stiffened but then his shoulders slumped in defeat. “He had a year left until his A-levels when he disappeared. He was an excellent student too, before… before his mother died. I guess he told you about what happened?”
Liam nodded. “He hasn’t touched them since. Drugs, I mean.”
“I handled it badly. I just…” Giles shook his head. “I wasn’t there for him and then I drove him away.” He shuddered suddenly as if overcome with emotion even if his face revealed very little. “He’s changed so much. It’s almost like looking at a stranger. And I’m afraid that he will never let me close again.”
“I’m sure…”
“I was called to the morgue twice last year,” Giles continued, ignoring him. “Each time they lifted the sheet my heart stopped in my chest. And when I saw it wasn’t him…I… I…” He drew in a shaky breath. “I never thought I’d be so glad to see the face of a stranger. A young man, someone else’s son, lay dead before me and I wanted to laugh with joy. Doesn’t that just sicken you?”
Liam swallowed. “I’m so sorry. It must have been horrible for you.”
The man didn’t seem to hear him. “And he doesn’t understand. He thinks I’m being overbearing, that I am meddling with things that don’t concern me. He doesn’t know what it’s like to be the one left behind, waiting by the phone for the news of your child, to know whether he’s alive or lying dead somewhere. Alone and cold and dead.” Giles took off his glasses with a shaky hand, putting them in his breast pocket before covering his eyes with his palm, elbow resting on the table.
Liam didn’t know what to do but when he glanced up he saw he wouldn’t have to do anything. Spike was standing in the doorway, watching his father’s slumped form with a look of horror on his face. As if it had finally dawned on him what he’d done, what he’d made his father go through. Liam got up quietly and walked over to Spike, kissing him gently on the forehead.
“Just talk to him, ok? Everything’s gonna be alright. I love you.”
And then he walked out, leaving the two of them alone. He had a call to make.
-------------------
“Morning.”
Liam blinked his eyes open, squinting against the early morning sun. “Uhng?”
“I made you toast, luv.” Spike pulled the covers off him in one swift motion. “Come on, stop drooling on your pillow and get up.”
Liam yawned and reluctantly sat up. “There better be some coffee with that toast.”
“Only if you get your arse out of bed right this minute. Or I’ll pour it down the drain.”
“You wouldn’t!”
Spike smirked. “Watch me.”
He didn’t make it further than the door before Liam was up and out of bed, rummaging through the drawers for a clean pair of underwear.
“You are the evilest boyfriend in the whole world, you know that?” he grumbled and pulled on his boxers. “And since when are you a morning person?”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be back to my usual grouchy self tomorrow. But today is a special day.” Spike winked at him. “And I’m not just talking about the blowjob I’m going to give you if you hurry up.”
Liam snorted even if his dick perked up considerably. “I’m not sure that being forced to sit through an hour of boring speeches counts as ‘special’,” he teased and then ducked as Spike swatted at his head. “Ok, ok! Cut it out!”
“Watch it or I’ll withdraw that blowjob offer,” Spike growled and threw open the closet. “And just so you know?” he added, throwing Liam an evil smirk. “I’m wearing a tie.”
Liam gulped. “Yeah?”
“Oh yes. Of course, my dad’s gonna be there so…” Spike shrugged.
“I’m sure he won’t mind us disappearing for a few minutes after the ceremony.” Liam slid up behind Spike and pulled him closer, nibbling at his earlobe. “He’s had his eye on that teacher of yours all winter. Now that you’re graduating he has no reason to hold back anymore. Maybe he’ll need a few minutes of his own.”
“Oh, ok. Seriously? Eeww.” Spike shuddered. “My dad is not shagging anyone. He’s never had sex in his life. In fact, I magically appeared one day after he and my mum spent a day not having sex. Alright?”
“You know, you’re adorable when you’re acting all teenage-y.” Liam laughed when Spike made to punch him. “You are! ‘Seriously.’ Your high school friends are having a bad influence on you. I distinctively heard you say ‘awesome’ yesterday and last week you spent a whole hour watching The O.C.”
“Shut up. It was the season finale, ok?” Spike turned around in his arms and batted his eyes, pitching his voice higher. “I had to know if Ryan and Seth would finally consummate their love.”
Liam chuckled even if he had no idea who these people were. “And did they?”
“Not on screen, no,” Spike pouted. “American television is so bloody pathetic. Can’t wait to catch up with my shows when we go home. I wonder what happened to Todd on Corrie,” he added thoughtfully.
Liam nuzzled into his neck. “If you’re going to spend the whole summer watching television we might as well stay here.”
“Oh quit it. You know you’re looking forward to going to England just as much as I am. Painting the idyllic landscape of Ye Old Country.” Spike snorted. “I’ll be lucky if I get to see you at all.”
“My old country is actually Ireland. I’ve never been there though,” Liam said wistfully.
“We could go?” Spike suggested as he slipped away from Liam and started skimming through his shirts.
“I guess.” Liam shrugged and found the shirt Spike was looking for, handing it to him. “If you can get away from your shows long enough.”
“Duh, they have tellies in Ireland, you know. They’re not all living in the dark ages even if you are.”
“’Duh?’” Liam asked with a smirk.
“Oh, shut up!”
Liam laughed and sat down on the bed under the pretence of putting on his socks when actually he was just watching Spike getting dressed. The boy had grown up the past year, not only mentally but physically as well. He had been far from scrawny when they first met but now his muscles were even more defined and the Californian sun had done his complexion good. It was more in his face though that the difference was evident. His eyes were wiser, his lips expressed more maturity and he held his head with confidence. Liam sometimes got lost in watching Spike just doing every day things that shouldn’t be that intriguing. The way he frowned when he was reading, the small smile he wore when he slept. The way his eyes would light up whenever his father called. The hint of grief twitching his lips whenever he saw women that reminded him of his mother.
Sometimes Liam couldn’t believe they really were here, together. That for some reasons unknown, Fate had decided it was alright for him to have this. It baffled him, in the same way as someone buying one of his paintings or being recognised on the streets by a fan did. He expected to wake up any moment and find himself alone and hungry in a dirty motel room again. That was what his father had sentenced him to and Liam couldn’t help wondering what the bastard would have thought of all this. If given time he’d come to his senses or if his son being a well-known artist with friends in high places meant nothing as long as he was still gay. He suspected so. Not that it mattered.
Things could have turned out quite differently and he shuddered to think what that meant. Lindsey could have had Spike arrested for assault and probably would have if Cordy hadn’t threatened to call his wife and tell her about the quick and, according to her, rather unsatisfying sex they’d had in his hotel room after she patched him up. “If it was so quick and unsatisfying, how come you were still there when I called you?” Liam asked with a grin and was told by a blushing Cordy to mind his own damn business if he wanted her help.
When it came to his exhibition it seemed the fight between “young Liam’s unknown lovers” had only served to make him more interesting in the eyes of the media. He’d sold more than half of his paintings that weekend and from there things only got better. And if anything, living with Spike only improved his work, allowing his imagination to see what he’d never even dreamed off before. Not that he would ever tell Spike that, there was a limit to how cocky Liam could allow him to get.
They’d been able to keep the apartment throughout the summer, thanks again to Cordy’s amazing ‘persuasion skills’ and by the time school started they were back in Los Angeles. Spike was then still four months short of his eighteenth birthday so officially he was an exchange student, living with a distant relative. He’d aced all the tests necessary to allow him to attend the senior year at Belmont High School and had been doing extremely well all year. He hadn’t been eighteen for more than a few hours before he was kissing Liam on the front steps of his school, indifferent of his fellow students whistling and snapping pictures with their cell phones. When he’d finally allowed Liam to pull away, flushed red and sure that someone would stalk up to them and arrest him despite them for once not doing anything illegal, Spike took a bow for their audience, a huge smile on his face. The memory still made Liam smile. And cringe. And harden in his pants.
“You brooding, luv?”
Liam woke up from his musings to find Spike watching him with concern. He shook his head and smiled. “Nah. Just wondering if you’re really gonna need pants under the gown. I mean, as long as it isn’t too windy…” He shrugged and grinned suggestively.
Spike laughed and wiggled his ass at him as he flipped through the rack of ties. “You old pervert. You sure you want to be giving me ideas like that?” He stopped, tilting his head as his eyes got a far-away look. “I can just see the headlines: ‘Liam Willard’s protégé arrested for mooning the audience at his high school graduation.’”
“You know, at one time or another they’re gonna realise you’re not so much my protégé as my constant pain in the ass.”
“I think it’s called ‘boyfriend’ and yes, I think they will.” He walked over until he was standing between Liam’s legs where he sat on the bed. “Probably today when I get off that stage and snog you in front of everyone and their mother.”
Liam smiled. “Yeah?”
Spike grinned and pushed him back on the bed. “Oh yeah. Now what did we decide about that blowjob?”
“That you were gonna give me one?” Liam suggested hopefully.
The blue silk slipped between Spike’s fingers. “With or without the tie?”
Fin