And Then He Kissed Me
Spike didn't get scared; he caused others to be scared. It was a
fact of vampiric life. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd
actually felt fear: when Angelus had been cursed, when Drusilla had been
grievously injured in Prague, and when Angelus's curse had been broken.
Now, he had two more fingers to add to his count, and he didn't know which of
the two had terrified him more: almost being sucked out to sea... or Xander's
kiss.
The vampire rested his cheek against Xander's back. He could barely hear the
steady flub-dub of the brunette's heart -- or was that his own heart? -- beneath
the thrum of the motorcycle's engine as they cruised the streets of Sunnydale.
Automatically, Spike leaned into the turns, the wind changing pitch as it
whipped around him. The vibration of the Hawk between his thighs was familiar,
almost soothing, which was what he desperately needed. He was thoroughly shaken
by the events at the beach, and the ride to town would give him time to compose
himself.
Xander had kissed him.
Xander had kissed him. Xander wasn't supposed to kiss him. It went
against the natural order of things. Xander was supposed to smack him, annoy
him, shock him with electricity, and order him about. Xander wasn't supposed to
kiss him. And Spike sure as shit wasn't supposed to like it. Or want it
to happen again. Or want more than just a kiss.
The idea of being lost at sea wasn't looking too frightening anymore.
"We're here, dingbat," Xander announced. The rough timber of his voice rasped
along Spike's spine like a cat's tongue. And when did the boy start sounding
like that?
Spike lifted his head and looked around. Sure enough, they were at the
Sunnydale Pizzeria, the Hawk was parked and the engine silent. Xander was
balancing the bike, waiting for the vampire to climb off.
Spike set his body on autopilot, since his mind was apparently still back at
the beach. And why wouldn't it be? Xander. Had. Kissed. Him. The world had gone
askew. Up was down, left was right, badass vampires were whipped into brainless
submission, because of a kiss.
"Spike, do you want anything extra?"
The pizzeria materialized around Spike, although he could still hear the
ocean waves lapping the beach. He was seated across from Xander in a red vinyl
booth, a plastic red- and white-checked tablecloth on the wood table between
them. Salt, pepper, and Parmesan cheese were pushed against a napkin dispenser
at one end of the table. Voices of other patrons and the scent of cheese,
tomato, and fresh bread filled the air. Xander's sunglasses sat on the table in
front of him, and he was looking questioningly at Spike.
"You kissed me," Spike blurted.
The brunette's dark brow shot up. It was followed by a quirk of his lips.
"He'll have an order of cheese bread, no garlic, and a MGD."
The twenty-something waitress, whom Spike just noticed standing at the head
of the booth, cracked her gum. He almost sank under the table when she smirked
at him. "I'll bring your drinks right out," she said, and walked away.
"Tosser," Spike grumped at Xander. He pulled a napkin from the dispenser.
"What?" Xander grinned evilly.
"You kissed me, that's what." Spike began shredding the napkin into small
pieces. "Why the hell did you do that?"
"The first time, I kissed you to goad those stupid gay-bashers," Xander
replied, leaning casually against the back wall of the booth, knee bent and foot
propped on the bench seat.
Spike tried not to flinch as he remembered how well it worked, and the
feeling of water filling his non-working lungs as he sank into the ocean. "And
the second?"
"To see if you tasted as good as the first time."
Spike's heart pounded a double beat in his chest, which was quite
disconcerting. Almost as disconcerting as Xander having kissed him. "I, uh,
thought you didn't like me," the blond said.
"I don't," Xander said bluntly. "I can barely stand you. You're obnoxious,
mouthy, annoying, irritating, and a general pain in the ass. It's all I can do
not to kill you after a few hours in your presence."
"The feeling's mutual, ducks," Spike said dryly. "Which makes me question why
the bloody hell we're still together."
"Because I trust you implicitly," Xander stated, his unwavering near-black
eyes focused squarely on Spike. "And you're the only one on this planet that I
do."
Spike stared at him, gob-smacked. The vampire felt as though he'd been kissed
by Xander again. Well, no, not really. Xander's kiss had melted his brain while
fueling other parts of his anatomy. Xander's words now simply made him
speechless.
The waitress returned and plunked two moist bottles of beer on the table. She
looked at Spike, at the pile of shredded napkin in front of him, at Xander, then
grinned and walked away again.
End
