A long long time ago ::strums fake guitar:: but I can still remember what kitty wanted me to write ::strums some more:: And I knew if I had my chance, that I could make the cute boys dance and maybe they'd be happy for a while. ::snicker:: Right. Story!

Title: No idea...help me find one? Please?

Author: Nash

Rating: NC-17 (overall)

Pairing: X/S

Summary: Human AU where the girls are in UC Sunnydale and Xander's working construction and Spike is a student at UCS too. Boy meets boy, boy runs after boy and if you wanna know what happens next you gotta read the story ::grin::

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Joss owns all. I’m teaching him to share!

Feedback: If you would be so kind I’d love to know I’m doing something right.

Archive: He who wants it gets it. Soon as he asks for it.

Author’s Note: Written for the lovely kitty_poker1 who asked for Xander being the one doing the chasing aaaaaages ago.

When Boy Meets Boy

by
Nash

Part One

Xander practically bounced on his way to work. After a run of dead end-jobs he had finally found something he liked. Okay, so construction wasn’t exactly the most prestigious of professions but he was good at it and if he played his cards right he could even get promoted to foreman.

The cherry on top of his life sundae though was the new location of the building site, right across from the UC Sunnydale campus. Between his new job and his friends’ hectic college schedule, they hadn’t really had a lot of time to get together, but now they could at least meet for lunch sometimes. He wouldn’t admit it to anyone but he’d missed his girls and he’d been feeling a little left out lately. After all, they were doing the college thing together and he’d been stuck doing the job thing all by himself. A man could only listen to so many stories about lectures and seminars before he started doubting his own intelligence. Buffy and Willow kept telling him that he was as smart as any of them, it wasn’t his fault that his parents were assholes.

Xander smiled at the protectiveness the girls felt against his parents. The Harrises had never been great parents and the thought of putting their idiot, layabout son through college had never even crossed their minds. Xander hadn’t gotten high enough grades for a scholarship and that was the end of his college dreams. He was okay with that.

Most of the time. 

--------------

As soon as the lunch break bell sounded, Xander quickly made excuses to his co-workers and went looking for the college cafeteria. He’d been a little worried about showing up all sweaty and in his work clothes but Buffy and Willow both assured him that he looked so damn hot in the vest and jeans that they’d probably keep getting interrupted by phone number requests. He still took a detour through the toilets to change into a cleaner pair of jeans and a t-shirt though. No use in having everyone stare.

Entering the cafeteria he looked around for his girls, finally spotting bright red hair in the corner of the room. To his surprise, instead of the golden colour he was expecting right next to the red, there was a blinding flash of white blond. As he approached the table the flash morphed into a hot guy in ripped jeans and a black t-shirt.

Well what do you know, Willow brought me a boy! Unless of course, Buffy’s dating the boy. Please don’t let Buffy be dating the hot boy.

“Hey, Wills. Who’s your friend?” He asked as he plopped down next to the redhead.

“Hey, Xander. Buffy’s running a little late but she said to tell you that she’s gonna be here as soon as she’s done talking to Riley.”

“That’s nice. And the person sitting next to you with the flaming white hair is…” Xander prompted when it became evident that Willow wasn’t about to introduce the sex god. 

“Name’s Spike. And you are?”

The sex god had a sexy accent! Xander stared for a moment, caught up in the sight.

“Xander, put your tongue back into your mouth. You’re drooling over the new guy. You don’t even know if he’s gay yet!” A laughing voice broke into his mental appreciation of Spike’s many physical attributes.

“Buffy! All amused at my expense, too. Where’s that lump of hay you insist on calling a boyfriend then?” Xander mock glared at his friend, hoping for the first time that she was still dating Riley. Buffy and him had an understanding. She would not-so-subtly out him to whoever caught his fancy and he would make digs at whoever she was dating at the time. Which was good because he never liked her boyfriends anyway.

Buffy rolled her eyes at the lameness of his come back and retaliated.

“So, Spike…how do you feel about other boys making the first move?”

Both turned to look at Spike expectantly. The blond looked baffled and a little bit dazed.

Spike stared at the obviously insane people. Willow had warned him about her friends but he’d never expected them to be this strange.

“Got no problems with that.” He finally managed to say, relieved to hear that he sounded unperturbed by the whole situation. It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to men coming on to him, hell he even took a couple of them home with him when the mood struck, but this conversation was bordering on the surreal.

“Good.” Xander grinned.

Spike raised his eyebrow in a much-practiced fashion and smiled as enigmatically as he could. He’d been hoping this new persona of his would be a success in America and it seemed he was right. First day on campus and he’d made friends with Willow and now this Xander guy was flirting with him.

He looked appraisingly at Xander, taking in the lean body and the gorgeous smile. The guy had the cutest smile he’d ever seen. No harm in flirting right back, was there?

“You’re gonna have to convince me, pet.”

To Spike’s delight, Xander burst into laughter. He looked gorgeous when he laughed, and Spike took a moment to appreciate the sight and sound of it.

“We could all go to the Bronze tonight.” Willow offered. “The Dingoes are playing and I promised Oz we’d show up.”

“So, English, whatcha think? Wanna come with us and let me convince you?” Xander asked, grinning at him.

Xander was good looking and seemed to be fun. Besides, he’d promised himself to have a lot more fun here than he’d had back home.

“Sure. Why not.”

------------------------
A few hours later Xander was standing in the middle of his bedroom, surrounded by discarded clothes. He looked desperately at the clock and finally caved, grabbing the phone and dialing Buffy’s number.

“Okay, you win, I have no idea how to dress myself. Come help me?” He said the moment the Buffy picked up the phone.

“Me and Willow are right outside your door.”

Xander run up the stairs and threw the door open, pulling Buffy and Willow into a short hug.

“I knew you’d call me.” Buffy said smugly and sashayed down the stairs.

“Come on, Xan. We’ll dress you right up.” Willow added, patting his back in faux comfort.

“No laughing. There will be no teasing of the Xanman. I really like this guy and I wanna make a good impression okay?”

In less than five minutes Buffy had found the perfect outfit and handed it over to Xander. He retreated to the bathroom to get dressed, coming out just in time to hear yelling and screaming coming from upstairs.

“Xander…” Buffy started only to be interrupted.

“No, Buff. You know I don’t wanna talk about it.”

The girls joined in the last sentence, saying the exact same words with the exact same tone Xander used.

“Yeah, yeah, very funny. So, how do I look?” Xander asked and executed a slow turn.

“Very dashing.” Buffy said and nodded emphatically.

“Beautiful.” Willow agreed.

Xander turned to see himself in the mirror and tugged nervously at his shirt.

“You don’t think silk is a bit much? I really want to make a good impression.”

“It’s fine Xan.” Willow assured him. “You’ll knock his socks off.”

“Good.” He smiled and tugged at his shirt again. “Can we please not mention that I work construction? I don’t think he realized it yesterday.”

“Xander…”

“I know, Buffy, I know, be myself and he’ll like me, working construction is nothing to be ashamed of…yadda yadda yadda.”

“Actually I was going to say that you should wear that leather necklace thing we gave you for your birthday and yeah, now that you mention it, there is nothing wrong with working.”

“But what if he doesn’t like me when he finds out I’m just a carpenter type person.”  Xander’s voice came out at a whisper.

“He’ll like you. I promise.” Willow assured him, giving him a quick hug. “Now let’s go. Oz is waiting!”

Part Two

Spike entered The Bronze, strutting for all he was worth. Despite the confidence coming with being ‘Spike’ he still felt a little uncertain in new places. He spotted Xander immediately and stopped, staring at the vision before him. Xander was dressed in skin-tight trousers and a reddish shirt, laughing at something Willow had said, head thrown back and showing that lovely long neck. He looked absolutely breathtaking.

“Spike, you came!” Xander exclaimed as he approached the table.

“Thought I’d give you a shot to convince me.” Spike smirked.

He sat next to Xander on the couch; content to just let them talk over him for a while. He noticed Xander glancing at him every now and then made sure to catch his eye a couple of times. Spike wanted to spend some time alone with the brunet, get to know him a little.

“So, pet, you up to playing some pool?”

“Sure, though I have to warn you, my enthusiasm for it far outweighs any ability I have to play. In short, I suck.” 

Spike raised his eyebrow.

“Could teach you some moves if you buy me a beer.”

“You’re on.” Xander laughed and moved towards the bar.

By the time Spike got a table, Xander was back carrying a tray with two pints of beer and some chicken wings.

“Ready to teach me oh grand master?” He asked, setting the tray on a nearby table.

Spike rolled his eyes and finished setting up the balls.

“Go on then, pet. Let’s see how bad you are.”

“I think you’ll find I suck beyond the telling of it.”

Xander lined up his cue and took careful aim. He didn’t completely miss the balls but it was close. Standing up straight he gave Spike a ‘what did I tell you?’ look, enjoying the amusement his bad playing caused.

Throughout the rest of the night he joked and chatted with Spike, making sure to have as much physical contact as he could. He may not be the best at flirting but Buffy had taught him the basics, he knew enough to touch Spike and look at him and laugh at his jokes. Buffy would be been proud, he thought and giggled. In fact, judging by the look on her face when he caught her eye towards the end of the evening, Buffy was proud!

Spike had never had so much fun on a date before. Xander had been entertaining and easy to talk to. He was kind of sorry to see the evening end, but he had early morning classes the next day and he had to sleep at least a little.

Xander walked with him to his car, keeping quiet until they were standing next to the DeSoto.

“So…have I convinced you?”

“I dunno, pet. Why do you wanna go out with me anyway?” Spike asked, giving the question a challenging tone, making it sound like one last test before he was convinced.

“Because you’re the most beautiful man I have ever seen and I love spending time with you and I’m sure that when I kiss you I’ll feel like fireworks are shooting throughout the sky.”

Spike raised his eyebrow and just looked at Xander.

“Yeah, okay so Buffy made me rehearse that part.  It’s true though. You are gorgeous and fun to hang around with. And I really, really wanna kiss you.”

Xander leaned forward and Spike allowed himself to be kissed. Five minutes later, fireworks may not have been shooting in the sky but something else was going to shoot if Spike didn’t pull back.

“Wow.”

“So you’re convinced?”

“Oh yeah.” Spike replied breathlessly, taking a moment to calm down. “Want a ride to the dorms, Xan?” He asked, unlocking the car.

“Erm…no. It’s okay.”

“Why would Xander want a ride to the dorms? Not like he’s a student or anything.”

Spike turned to look at a very drunk Riley, weaving his way too them. Buffy was trying to get him to shut up but Riley was flicking her hands away and ignoring her pleading looks.

“He’s not?”

“Nooooo, Xander’s a construction worker. He consck…consmtr…makes stuff.” Riley concluded.

“Sorry Xan.” Buffy said softly, finally able to clamp a hand over Riley’s mouth.

Xander was a construction worker. Not a student. Spike frowned in thought, he’d been wanting things to be different here, hoping to become even a little bit popular on campus...dating a townie though…that wouldn’t be so good, would it?

“I’ll…I’ll just go now.” Xander said, snapping Spike’s attention back to him. The exuberance that had animated his face was gone and the glint in his eyes now looked more like a sheen of tears.

Spike told himself to let him leave. He was just settling in here and he needed to hang out with people that would help him fit in. He needed to fit in, just this once. He stayed silent, ignoring Buffy’s angry ‘humph’ and watched the small hope die in Xander’s face. He did nothing as the brunet turned to leave.

“Seeing as you have a job and everything, dinner will be your treat, right? Starving student here and all.” He suddenly blurted out.

The surprise and pleasure that greeted his words when Xander turned back to him confirmed that his decision was the right one. He liked Xander, they had fun together and that kiss had been bloody hot. He wasn’t going to give it up just because Xander wasn’t at uni.

He smiled and waved a bit before getting into his car and driving off. He glanced at the rear-view mirror and saw Xander still standing there, smiling at the car.

Xander watched until Spike turned into a side street. “He likes me!”

“Told you he would. Now can I have a little help here please?” Buffy huffed, struggling to hold Riley up.

Xander turned to face them, swallowing back a giggle at the sight of tinsy winsy Buffy holding up the gentle dumb giant. “And why would I help the cornbread idiot who told Spike I conms..constr…make stuff?” He mocked, trying to keep a scowl on his face.

“Because I can tell you called me tinsy winsy in your head and I’m willing to forgo kicking your ass over that if you help me get him to the car.” Buffy replied, folding a bit under Riley’s increasingly uncontrolled weight.

Xander laughed and hastened to help. If he let Riley knock his head on the wall a couple of times on the way to the car, and if he used a bit too much force in pushing him into the back seat…well, who could blame him really?

Part Three

“…So I’m on my knees, her hands are wrapped around my neck and the woman is freakishly strong. No, seriously, she was totally insane. I’m thinking these are my last moments on earth, half-praying for someone to save me, and who walks by but Buffy’s boyfriend. Which on the one hand is good, because, look! Saved! On the other hand, did it really have to be that guy?”

“Riley saved you from the psycho?” Spike asked, a smile playing at his lips.

“Not Riley, Angel. King of broodiness and pain.”

“Angel? What kind of girly name is that for a bloke?”

“That’s what I said!” Xander exclaimed, grabbing Spike’s hand and pulling him closer. “For that, you get a kiss.” He grinned and pecked Spike on the lips.

“Hey, that’s not a kiss!” Spike protested.

“It’s a kiss. It’s a pecky kiss but still a kiss. So I had to say thank you to the bastard. And that is the most humiliating experience of my life. The ‘thank you’ not the strangling. Your turn now.”

“Most humiliating moment of my life?”

“Yup.” Xander gave an exaggerated nod, smiling expectantly.

Spike thought about telling some sort of lie.

“I told you about psycho-girl.”

“Yeah. Right, most humiliating moment was when I recited one of my poems in public.”

“They didn’t like it?”

“That’s an understatement, pet.” Spike muttered.

He felt Xander tug him closer and another kiss was bestowed on him.

“Willow says you’re good and she knows what she’s talking about.”

Spike blushed and looked down. He wasn’t supposed to blush so easily now. Not just because some girl thought he was okay and some guy wanted to make him feel better.

Think like Spike. They all like Spike better anyway.

“Eh, it was no big deal, pet. Now, how about we go play some pool so I can kick your ass some more?”

A couple of hours later, they were standing outside his dorm, saying goodnight.

“So…that was fun.” Xander ventured, feeling unreasonably nervous. The date had gone well, he thought. They had joked and chatted through the entire evening. Spike had looked drop dead gorgeous in his leather trousers and the tight black t-shirt. Xander had felt so proud to be out with him.

“Yeah…yeah it was.” Spike smiled leaning forward a bit.

Xander’d been trying so hard to show that he was more than a manual worker, to show his confident, self-assured side but now he just…what if Spike didn’t want to go out with him again?

“Yeah. So…goodnight then. See you later ‘kay?” He mumbled and dropped another quick kiss on Spike’s lips before leaving as quickly as possible.

Xander had been the first to admit that leaving Spike like that was a very stupid thing to do. He’d called Willow to confirm and she had agreed, vocally and eloquently. Which was why he was standing outside Spike’s door, not more than twenty minutes after his idiotic ‘goodnight’.

Spike was at that very moment stomping around his room. How dare the little runt leave him there with just a “Night, Spike. See you later, ‘kay?”. What kind of person kissed someone silly and then, two days later, refused to do it again? A bloody sadistic person, that’s what.

His inner rant was interrupted by a timid-sounding knock on his door. He stomped over and pulled the door open, ready to glare at whoever was on the other side. The glare rose in intensity when he saw Xander standing there, shifting from foot to foot and refusing to meet his eyes.

“So I was thinking…maybe we could try the ‘goodnight’ bit again?”

“I dunno. Does the second take include a proper snog?” Spike asked suspiciously. He was not falling for the same thing again.

Xander nodded, looking hopefully at him and oh god, how could anyone stay mad at the guy when he could look so fucking sad and hopeful?

“So what are you waiting for then?”

Xander grinned and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on Spike’s lips. He pulled back a little, his lips barely touching Spike’s.

“More?”

Instead of answering Spike closed the gap and resumed the kiss.

“Sorry to interrupt but you’re kind of blocking my door here.”

“Graham, now is not the time.” Spike mumbled against Xander’s lips.

“Spike, I need to sleep. I have training tomorrow. I’m sorry but you can’t get lucky tonight. Not in our room anyway.”

Xander glared at the guy as he edged past them and into the room. He did sound genuinely apologetic but he’d just ruined Xander’s second goodbye and it had been going so much better than the first attempt.

“Xander, please tell me you have somewhere for us to go.”

Spike’s breath was hot against Xander’s ear and he shivered when the blond nibbled on his earlobe.

“We could go to your place.” Spike suggested, turning to look mournfully at the now closed door.

“No. I…you don’t want to go to my place, trust me.”

No way was he taking Spike to the basement. Last time he’d taken someone there, his father had seen them and had started screaming and yelling at them.

“We could go to the workshop.” He suggested hopefully, “One of the guys at work lets me use his workshop. It’s not much but there’s a little lounge space. And you could see my stuff…I carve things sometimes. They’re nothing much but I kinda like them.” He babbled nervously.

Spike laughed and kissed him into silence.

“Come on then pet. I’ve been wanting to see your…stuff.” He said, leering at Xander.

Fifteen minutes later, Spike was standing in the middle of the workshop, staring in awe.

“These are bloody gorgeous, Xan.” He said, picking up one of the carvings.

Xander blushed with pleasure, content to watch Spike stare at the various knick-knacks he had made. He was only just getting good at carving and he could see the flaws but Spike’s appreciation was making them seem much better than they actually were.

“I can do better but they’re okay for now.”

“Oh they’re better than okay, pet.”

Spike was back in front of him, pushing him slowly backwards until he was flush against one of the counters.

“Make me one?” He whispered, trailing kisses down Xander’s jaw, all the way to his mouth.

“Yeah…” Xander breathed, a second before Spike’s mouth settled on him.

Xander slid his hand into Spike’s hair, licking around Spike’s lips, asking for entrance. The moment Spike opened his mouth, he slid his tongue inside, exploring the taste and feel of him. Xander’s hands drifted up Spike’s back and into his hair, holding him still so that Xander could explore at leisure.

By the time Xander pulled back to breathe, Spike was plastered against him rubbing his hardness against Xander’s hip. The moment Xander’s lips retreated, Spike cupped his ass and pulled him as close as he could, nuzzling and kissing his neck.

“Spike…oh God right there…Spike we can’t do this.”

“Why not, pet?” Spike replied, moving that clever mouth to Xander’s collarbone.

“Cause there’s a six year old behind that door.”

Hands, mouth and Spike were suddenly gone. Xander opened his eyes to see Spike standing five feet away, staring with horror at the door connecting the workshop to the house.

“There’s a child behind that door?”

“Well…not right now. Steve has a 6 year old daughter and I’m not allowed to do…stuff where she might see.”

“Oh.” Spike cast another worried look at the door. “Maybe we should go then. Not sure I can keep my hands off you in private, pet.” He smiled and Xander was lost. He was already falling for a guy he’d known for less than a week.

“Gonna kiss me goodnight all proper like this time Xan?” The blond asked with a half-hopeful half-leering look and Xander didn’t care that it’d only been a week.

“Well I can’t leave you all pouty and unsatisfied now can I?” He teased.

“I’ll just be unsatisfied then.” Spike laughed.

Part Four

Two weeks after the workshop interlude, Spike was much less amused by the situation. They’d been lying on Spike’s bed, Xander’s body covering him, finally about to move beyond kissing and light groping when Graham had come back early from classes. He’d only come in a moment to pick up his towel and go shower but the mood had been broken and Graham was going to come back after his shower.

It was just their luck. Every time they were getting somewhere, they got interrupted. They would race back to the room only to find the little ‘getting laid go away’ sign on the door. When Spike agreed to use the code thing after classes he’d been expecting to be on the other side of the door a hell of a lot more.

Even during the day, Graham would come back from classes and walk in, killing the mood instantly. It wasn’t that Graham was doing it on purpose, one time when he finished class early, he’d caught them on the heavy petting stage he’d stammered and blushed and left, promising not to come back for a couple of hours. The problem was Spike was now unbelievably self-conscious even when Graham wasn’t there.

The one time they tried to use Xander’s car some idiot knocked on the window and Spike adamantly refused to try again. He may have given himself a makeover but some William-y trades still remained. He was not having sex with his boyfriend for the first time in a car.

A hotel was out of the question as neither of them could afford it and even Xander refused to use the nearby motel. It was entirely too sleazy and Spike couldn’t stand the knowing look he was sure would be on the concierge’s face.

The only place they could get some privacy was Xander’s basement but the brunet wouldn’t hear of that.

“I’m going insane, pet.” Spike confessed quietly. “Been a walking hard-on since I met you and the frustration is just about killing me.”

“Trust me when I say, I know exactly how you feel.”

“So why cant’ we go to your place? I know you live under your parents’ house but at least we’ll have some privacy.”

Spike had been trying to get Xander to agree to that plan after the first week of endless interruptions but every time he was cut off with a clear and unequivocal ‘no’.

“No.”

And there it was again. Which only left one alternative that Spike had been reluctant to contemplate. He’d been so focused on Xander these past few weeks he hadn’t thought that maybe Xander didn’t feel the same. After all it’d been Xander who chased him and got him to agree to the first date. It’d been Xander calling him and taking him out…Xander had been the one taking all the initiative except in this one thing…maybe he’d changed his mind.

“Look, Xander if you don’t want this…”

Before he could finish the sentence, Xander had bent down and kissed him hard.

“I want this. It’s just…”

Xander sighed and climbed off Spike, settling next to him on the bed. He’d been hoping to avoid this conversation but if Spike thought that his refusal to take him home meant that he didn’t want him, he had to fix it. He waited until the blond settled, laying his head on Xander’s chest before continuing.

“My parents…they’re not the best parents a guy could have. There’s a lot of shouting and screaming and stuff.” He started his explanation, avoiding Spike’s eyes. He didn’t want to know what Spike thought til he’d finished. It was hard enough to say without seeing the look in Spike’s eyes when he heard. “Last guy I dated, Mike, we went there one night when his roommate was having a party. Just wanted to be alone, you know? I thought, what’s the harm, the parents will be asleep anyway and it’s not like they check on me at all. So we went to my place. We were just getting to the…erm…interesting bits when the screaming started. Turned out my dad had woken up and he hadn’t liked the way I parked my car. I could see the door open but it was like I was frozen, I couldn’t even move, I just stared at the door. Next thing I know, my dad is standing in front of the bed, screaming at us, calling us names and stuff.”

Xander took a deep breath and ploughed on before Spike had a chance to tell him to stop. He didn’t want to stop, he wanted to get it out and over with. “He told Mike that if he saw him around me again he’d kill him. He said he couldn’t kill me cause my mom would have a fit but there was nobody stopping him from killing other fucking perverts. Then he was gone and Mike was gone and I tried calling him back but he just left. I called him the next day and the day after that but all I got was his machine and five days later this guy shows up and tells me to stop bothering Mike because he doesn’t want to see me again. Fair enough I guess, I mean who’d want to go out with a guy who has a homicidal maniac for a father? Not that he’d really kill him.” He hastened to add. “At least I don’t think he would, he was just drunk and angry.”

He fell silent, staring unseeingly at the wall, unwilling to face Spike.

“So, no nookie at your house then. Wonder if we could convince Graham to move to the frat house?”

Xander looked down at Spike in surprise. Spike kissed Xander softly and settled back down on his chest.

“Just means there’s one less place for us to be alone Xander. So what shall we do tonight then? Are the Dingoes playing at The Bronze?”

Too overcome by Spike’s easy acceptance of his father, Xander stayed silent.

“Xan? It’s only a big deal if you let it be, okay? I won’t do a runner ‘cause of your father. The moment you get your own flat though, we’re spending at least a week in bed.” Spike leered up at him and Xander couldn’t resist a kiss.

“Wanna go, then? If we stay here much longer I’ll have to take advantage and you just know Graham will walk in right in the middle of it.” He grinned.

They got up, adjusted their clothing and made their way to The Bronze, picking up Willow on the way. Xander ordered the first round, bopping to the beat and looking around for Spike and Willow when he spotted someone else. Someone much more interesting. Someone whose very presence in the club was going to get Xander laid.

He abandoned the drinks and moved as fast as he could. When he finally reached his target Xander grabbed his hand and started dragging him outside. They hit the door running and kept going until they reached the car.

“What the hell is going on?!”

“Do you know who I just saw inside that club?” Xander asked, turning the car on and speeding off. “Graham. Your roommate Graham. Your roommate Graham and his girlfriend. And do you know what that means?”

Spike’s face was a study in confusion.

“It means your room is empty. It means we can finally get there first and hang that obnoxious sign on the door so that when he comes back he’ll have to shut up and go away because as God is my witness I will not be interrupted again!” The glee in Xander’s voice was positively evil but he didn’t care. He was finally going to fuck the boyfriend! He was allowed a little evilness.

He glanced at Spike, seeing the confusion transform into lustful anticipation and felt his cock twitch. Oh yeah, tonight was shaping up better than he’d thought!

He screeched to a halt in front of Spike’s building, and once again grabbed the blond’s hand, making a dash for the door as if Graham would somehow materialize in front of them and get in the room first. He burst into the room, pulling Spike inside with him, and grabbed the little sign, put it outside the door and slammed it shut.

Only then did he stop to catch his breath. He turned around, leaned against the door and leered at a shocked-looking Spike.

“And now…you’re mine!” He growled and pounced.

Part Five

Xander screeched to a halt in front of Spike’s building, and once again grabbed the blond’s hand, making a dash for the door as if Graham would somehow materialize in front of them and get in the room first. He burst into the room, pulling Spike inside with him. The moment they were in, he grabbed the little sign, put it outside the door and slammed it shut.

Only then did he stop to catch his breath. He turned around, leaned against the door and leered at a shocked-looking Spike.

“And now…you’re mine!” He growled and pounced, pushing Spike back against the wall and kissing him hard. His tongue forcing its way into Spike’s mouth, desperate to taste everything he could. Xander’s hands immediately dropped to the buttons of Spike’s shirt, tugging and pulling urgently. He moaned in frustration when the buttons refused to give and grabbed the edges of the shirt, ready to just tear it off.

Before he could yank the fabric apart, his hands were covered by Spike’s own.

“Calm down, pet. We have time, yeah? Graham will be at the club for a while yet and even if he comes back, well, we got here first.”

Spike spoke softly, his hands moving from Xander’s own to his forearms rubbing up and down in a soothing motion.

Xander blinked, confused for a moment before the words finally penetrated his brain. They had time…no need to rush…He smiled and leaned forward for another kiss, less urgent this time but no less passionate. He took his time exploring Spike’s mouth, moaning against the soft lips when the blond’s tongue dueled with his own.

He made another attempt to unbutton Spike’s shirt and this time he managed to push the buttons through the holes. Xander’s hands immediately started thoroughly exploring the revealed flesh, drawing gasps and moans from his lover. Xander released Spike’s mouth, eager to hear every little gasp, and nibbled and sucked his way down to his neck and on to his collarbone. He bit lightly at a spot just under the collarbone and suddenly Spike’s hands left the blond’s sides to burrow in Xander’s hair, pressing against his scalp to keep him exactly where he was.

Xander breathed a soft laugh against Spike’s skin. “Guess I found a hot spot.” He giggled and nibbled on it.

“Fuck, yeah.” Spike moaned tilting his head back, trying to give Xander greater access.

He’d been taken aback when Xander had launched himself at him, worried that it would be over too fast, when he’d been waiting for what felt like ages. Now though…now it was just perfect. Xander’s hands stroking his body, Xander’s lips on his skin, trailing hot kisses down to his chest, stopping at random places to nibble and bite and suck.

He felt the buttons on his jeans pop open and opened his eyes, looking down just in time to see Xander lick his lips and then that hot mouth was wrapped around his cock, sucking strongly. It felt bloody good. Too good.

“Xander. Xander, stop! Now!” He said desperately.

Xander did stop and looked up at him, raising his eyebrows, a questioning look on his face.

“Too good, pet. Don’t want it to be over before it starts now, do I?” Spike explained, smirking for all he was worth. “Now, I think you have entirely too many clothes on.” He murmured, pulling Xander up, tugging his t-shirt up until he could pull it off his shoulders.

“Gorgeous, Xan.” He whispered, leaning up for a kiss, his hands exploring much like Xander’s did before, looking for his ‘hot spots’. He could feel Xander’s body arch against his fingers, hear the little sounds of pleasure his lover made. Xander’s hands were still on his back, clenching and unclenching against his skin.

Spike smiled into the kiss and let his hands trail down Xander’s stomach, quickly unbuttoning his jeans. Instead of paying attention to his lover’s erection he brushed his hands backwards, pushing them inside Xander’s jeans to cup his ass. He pulled Xander close to him, moaning as his cock pushed against Xander’s.

Impatient once again, Xander took the lead and tugged Spike’s jeans down to his thighs.

“Take them off.” The words were as much a command as a request and Spike hastened to obey, taking off his shoes and socks and pulling the jeans off as fast as he could. By the time he was finished, Xander was already naked and lying on the bed, his hand stroking his cock as he watched Spike undress.

“Fuck, Xan.”

“Yup.” Xander agreed smiling at him. “Now come here so we can do that.”

Xander watched Spike come closer, and a part of him still couldn’t believe that the sex god with the sexy accent picked him. But he had, and they were here together and he’d be damned if he’d let his insecurities get in the way. The moment Spike was within reach Xander grabbed his arm and tugged just enough to have Spike overbalance and fall on him. The minute Spike landed Xander twisted his whole body, pushing Spike on the bed and reversing their positions.

“Now we’re talking,” he murmured and bent for a kiss. It seemed like ages since he’d last kissed Spike. He pressed his whole body down, rubbing slowly against Spike and moaning into the kiss. His hands trailed down Spike’s body, pushing between them to wrap around the blond’s cock.

“Need to fuck you Spike…Please, please let me…”

Xander barely waited for Spike’s nod before fumbling with his trousers for the little tube of lube he’d been carrying just hoping for an opportunity like this. He kneeled between Spike’s open legs, his hands reaching out to touch any part of him he could reach.

“Lift your leg for me sweetheart, let me in.”

The words were soft and Spike had to bite back a moan at the thought of spreading himself open for Xander. He immediately bent his leg at the knee, tilting it out and canting his hips to present as much of himself as he could. The glazed look on Xander’s face as he sat there, staring at him nearly pushed him over the edge.

“Come on, Xander, hurry the hell up,” he said, desire making his voice husky and low.

Xander finally seemed to snap out of it and Spike moaned happily as one finger, then two slipped inside him. He’d forgotten how good that felt. He closed his eyes and tried pushed down, trying to force Xander’s fingers deeper inside. He felt Xander’s fingers press against his prostate and gasped, his hand snaking down to grab Xander’s wrist, holding his hand still as he rode the brunet’s fingers, trying to force them to bump his prostate over and over again.

“Fuck, Spike…”

The awe in Xander’s voice snapped him out of his lustful haze and he looked up only to shiver under the intensity of Xander’s gaze.

Xander took advantage of Spike’s immobility and pulled his fingers out, hastily slicking his cock and pushing into Spike as fast as he could. He felt Spike clench around him and let out a strangled moan.

“Oh God Spike if you do that again this’ll be over real fast,” he said breathlessly, closing his eyes in an attempt to control himself.

As soon as he could move without coming he started thrusting lightly, keeping the pace nice and slow, driving both of them crazy with desire.

“Xander, please, I can’t…just do it faster damnit,” Spike growled making Xander shiver at the gravelly tone.

He immediately started moving faster and harder, until neither of them could draw breath to speak and the room was filled with moans and groans of pleasure. Xander felt Spike tense under him, felt his lover’s ass tighten around his cock and let himself go.

Xander let himself relax against Spike, enjoying the pleased little murmur the blond made as he settled against him.

“We should do that more often,” he mumbled sleepily.

Part Six

Three days after their ‘big night’ Xander was once again bouncing towards campus. He couldn’t believe how much his luck had changed after meeting Spike. He felt better than he had in years. Not wanting to hide Spike away he’d come out at work and the most embarrassing reaction was the boss wanting to set him up with his brother-in-law. One look at Spike and Chuck had given up those plans.

The best thing though, the one he hadn’t shared with either of the girls or Spike was the big surprise he was sharing with them today. After much scrimping and saving he’d finally managed to make a down payment on a condo. It was a small studio apartment, and was presently mortgaged until Xander made the final payment but it was his and he’d earned it. And now he was on his way to share it with the three most important people in his life.

He walked into the cafeteria and immediately spotted a redhead and a blonde sitting together. Hmmm, one blond missing, he thought as he approached the table.

“Hello ladies,” he greeted them as he sat down next to Willow’s chair. “Where’s Spike?”

Buffy sighed dramatically, brought a hand up to lay on her chest and adopted a tragic expression. “Remember, when Xander would ask us what we were doing? How classes went? Whether I’d dumped Riley yet? Now all he cares about is Spike.”

Willow giggled and Xander smiled widely.

“Did you dump the big ox?” he asked hopefully.

“Nope.” Buffy replied cheerfully, dropping the dramatic damsel act and popping another French fry in her mouth.

“Then why’d you make me ask then?” Xander pouted.

“’Cause I’m evil,” she said lightly and grinned at him.

“Sooo…Spike?” Xander asked, his legs bouncing nervously under the table.

“Some guy wanted to ask him about something or other and he told us to go on.” Willow volunteered.

“’kay I’m gonna go find him. I have big news and I wanna tell my best girls and my best guy all at once.”

Ignoring the girls’ demands to be told what’s going on, Xander bounced off, feeling on top of the world. He twirled the apartment keys in his hand, watching them catch the light. He didn’t even realize that he’d gotten close to Spike until he heard his name being mentioned.

---------------

Spike stood in the courtyard, chatting to Forrest about life in Lowell House and how the fraternity was a great way to make a name for yourself on campus. Graham had mentioned Spike as a possible pledge and Forrest had invited him to a big party in the frat house. He’d even hinted that if Spike showed up he’d meet all the right people, people who’d make sure he got in. Still anxious to be accepted on campus, Spike immediately agreed and mentioned that he might bring Xander along.

“Xander? I don’t think I met him. He a student here?” Forrest asked curiously.

“No, he works at the construction site across from the campus,” Spike explained, reaching out for the flyer Forrest was passing over to him.

“He what?”

The flyer was pulled back before Spike had a chance to take it.

“You’re going out with a townie? Man, that’s not cool.” Forrest was shaking his head and Spike panicked.

“Xander and I…it’s nothing. We’re only messing around.”

Spike couldn’t believe he’d just uttered those words. Even as Forrest’s face cleared and he took the flyer, feeling strangely numb.

“Nice to know where we stand.”

Spike froze as he heard the familiar voice right behind him.

“Xander! Look, I didn’t mean it, I was just…”

“Hey, it’s not a big deal. Not like we swore eternal love or anything, right?”

Xander’s voice was light but Spike could see the strain in his eyes. The smile didn’t quite reach them, the lips were curved in that cute little way Spike loved so much but Xander’s eyes weren’t smiling along with them.

“Look, I just wanted to tell you I’m taking the girls out for lunch. I got the rest of the day off and with this and that we haven’t been spending much time together. Hope you don’t mind.”

Spike shook his head mutely, looking at the ground. He needed to fit in, to be popular. That was what ‘Spike’ was all about.

Xander wasn’t sure if Spike was disappointed or relieved. Either way, at that moment he didn’t care. He walked quickly away, keys still clutched in his hand.

Willow and Buffy were still at the table, chatting idly about classes and boyfriends.

“Come on, girls. I have something to show you,” he said tersely as he walked past the table.

Xander ignored the puzzled glances Buffy and Willow threw at him and kept going until he reached his car.

The moment the girls climbed into the car they demanded to know what had happened.

“What happened is that Spike is either ashamed to admit that we’re together or thinks that we’re only messing around,” Xander said through clenched teeth, putting the car in gear and driving off. “No, I do not want to talk about it. I have good news and I’m going to show you and then I’m going to pretend I never met him for a while.”

Buffy and Willow dutifully oooohed and aaahed over the apartment, and immediately set to work trying to convince Xander to talk to Spike. After much cajoling and ego bolstering, Xander finally worked up the courage to call. He closed the bedroom door behind him and sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the cordless phone for a few minutes before dialing the number.

“This is Spike, what do you want?”

“It’s me,” Xander said softly.

“Xander? I didn’t recognize your number.”

Spike’s voice had softened considerably from the first brusque greeting and Xander allowed himself to hope.

“Yeah, new phone. Erm…wanna tell me what that was all about?”

“Nothing important.”

The quick dismissal only made Xander more apprehensive.

“If it was nothing important then why did you say we’re only…unless you were telling the truth. Were you telling the truth?” Xander couldn’t conceal the anxiety that question caused and he silently cursed himself for letting Spike hear his weakness.

“NO!” Spike immediately contradicted Xander, giving him a little hope. “No,” he continued, sounding sad and subdued. “I…you don’t understand Xan…I want them to accept me, and they…” Spike’s voice trailed off as if he couldn’t find the words to say what he meant.

“And they think that dating a lowly construction worker isn’t cool enough.” Xander completed the sentence. “So you’ll give them what they want.”

“Xander I’m sorry….we could still-”

“We could still what?” Xander interrupted, anger coming in to save him from the total humiliation of having Spike hear him cry. “Be friends? Sneak around so your cool friends won’t see us? Been there, done that. In fact I spent three years in high school doing it and I’m not anxious to return.”

He stayed quiet for a moment, listening to the silence his outburst had caused and trying to get his breathing under control.

“I’m an idiot for letting the girls convince me it didn’t matter. See you around Spike.”

Xander disconnected the line before Spike could say anything else and fell back on the bed, his arm falling over his eyes. Who the hell had he thought he’d been kidding? Chasing after Spike, offering himself to the blond on a silver platter. What a freaking joke, as if he could hold on to someone like Spike.

He felt the bed tilt a bit and then two warm bodies pressed against him from either side as his girls hugged him close.

---------------

One week after that god awful phone-call and William felt like shit. He was standing in the middle of possibly the best party he’d ever attended, people vying for his attention at all times. Spike was a big hit with everyone. The coat was admired, the accent was cooed over and the attitude was accepted as the very epitome of coolness.

William was not as appreciative as he’d thought he’d be.

He missed Xander.

He’d tried calling Xander’s mobile but he was ignored. He’d even gone to the construction site but after a quick glance at Xander the guy at the entrance refused to admit him on pain of broken ribs. He’d tried talking to Willow and Buffy but neither of the girls would talk to him. Willow had even slapped him once when he tried to get her to tell Xander he was sorry.

The fraternity guys had implied pretty heavily that he was in if he wanted to be, now that he was single again. Pretty important factor, that. Seemed like being gay was okay thanks to Queer as Folk and Queer Eye and whatnot but dating a townie was still unacceptable. Gotta love college kids’ priorities, Spike scoffed internally. He’d never expected to be accepted as a gay man but condemned for his choice of boyfriend. 

What’s gonna happen if being gay stops being fashionable, he wondered.

Would it be implied that he should pick a nice girl or leave? What was he willing to do to remain popular?

He looked at the people around him and decided he didn’t care to find out the answer to that question. The important question was another one.

What was he willing to do to get Xander back?

Part Seven

Xander sat in his new apartment, watching television and drinking beer. He glanced at the phone, seeing yet another missed call by Spike.

Tough shit. I don’t want to hear any more apologies. Willow had told him of Spike’s attempt to say he was sorry through her. Well, Xander didn’t care. So Spike was sorry, big-fucking-deal. He was still choosing Lowel House over Xander so Spike could fuck off.

Except of course, Xander wanted his Spike back. The one who made up stupid poems and laughed at his jokes. The one with a romantic streak a mile wide and a keen appreciation of kill-‘em-all movies.

The only problem was, Spike didn’t really want him. He should have known really. Xander’d been the one to chase after Spike. He had pressed and cajoled until Spike had given in. He’d called Spike all the time, asked him out, took him in and opened himself up to him. Hell, even their make-out sessions had all been started by Xander. Spike wanted a fuck-buddy or, even worse, a dirty little secret; Xander wanted a boyfriend and no amount of wishing was going to change Spike into that. Not if Spike didn’t want to change.

Ample proof of how little he meant to Spike was the speed with which he’d forgotten Xander. Willow had told him that Spike had gone to the party and he’d seemed to be having the time of his life, surrounded by hot boys and cute girls.

“Guess he’s moved on,” Xander whispered, reaching for another beer.

-------------------

William sat at his usual table in the cafeteria, as far away from Willow and Buffy’s glares as he could get, and scribbled furiously, crossing over and rewriting every single line many times over. He’d fucked everything up royally and he had to fix things.

He needed this to be perfect, needed to show Xander the truth. He ignored his lunch tray and concentrated on the piece of paper in front of him, not noticing Willow standing a few steps away staring at him thoughtfully before moving to sit next to Buffy.

After about fifteen minutes he let out a satisfied noise and looked up, searching the room until he spotted them. Taking a deep breath, he walked quickly to their table.

-------------------

“He’s changed. He hadn’t gelled his hair at all and there were roots showing! Buffy was all ‘How can he forget to touch up his roots? I don’t care if he’s evil, that’s just wrong!’ And he wasn’t wearing the duster. Ever since I met him he’s practically never taken it off! Not even when a normal person would be sweating buckets. He loves that thing!”

“For the last time Willow: I don’t. Want. To. Know.” Xander said through gritted teeth. They were supposed to be hanging out in his apartment and Willow was supposed to cheer him up.

Instead of telling knock-knock jokes and making silly impersonations to make him laugh, she’d been babbling on about how different Spike had been lately for the last fifteen minutes. If he didn’t know any better he’d think she was working up to something. Willow always babbled when she was trying to tell him things he may not want to hear.

Oh shit.

“He has a boyfriend doesn’t he?” He asked, jumping up and pacing the room, trying to breathe through the pain of that realization. “That’s why you’re babbling a mile a minute, he has someone else! Some frat guy who’s popular and hot!”

“What? No! No boyfriend! Not even a date!” Willow shook her head from side to side, eyes huge and anxious to reassure him.

“Well then, what are you trying to tell me? Spit it out Wills, you’re driving me crazy.” Xander demanded, barely holding back from stomping his foot like the big gay drama queen Buffy always said he was.

“He wants you to come to our next poetry class with me. He said he wants to prove something to you. He looked so sad, Xander, even Buffy felt sorry for him.”

Xander ruthlessly stomped down on the little flare of hope Willow’s earnest delivery had ignited.

“Why would he want me go to a class?” He asked suspiciously.

“I don’t know. He said that if you still don’t want him after this he’ll leave you alone.”

“I don’t want him,” Xander said incredulously, fighting back the hysterical laughter that threatened to erupt. “He thinks I don’t want him. I’m not the one who picked a fraternity over his boyfriend! I’m not the one who denied having anything other than sex between us.”

“Hey sweetie, don’t get upset.” Willow stood up and hugged him close as she patted his back softly, rubbing circles on it like she did when they were little and he was sick. She leaned closer and pressed her cheek against his hair, kissing his temple. “I really think you should come…he seemed so miserable yesterday, maybe he’s trying to fix things.”

Xander let his head rest against Willow, even as he mumbled a dejected “Yeah right” into her shoulder.

The following morning Xander found himself standing outside a UCS lecture room, looking nervously at the door.

“Are you coming in, or just staring?”

“Buffy? I thought you didn’t take this class.” Xander exclaimed.

“I don’t.” Buffy smiled and grabbed his hand, pulling him inside. “Just want to see what Spike’s up to and kick his ass if he hurts you again. We’ll sit next to Willow.”

------------------

Spike looked nervously around the classroom. He wasn’t sure what was worse, the anxiety of having to do this again after what’d happened last time or the worry that Xander wouldn’t even show up.

When he finally saw Xander being dragged in by Buffy the worry dissipated but the anxiety cranked up a couple of notches. What if Xander thought he didn’t mean it? Even worse, what if he laughed at him?

Spike took a fortifying breath and told himself that he was the one who made the mess and he had to clean it up...even if he ended up revealing what a nancy-boy he really was in the process. Spike watched nervously as the lecturer announced that the poem to be discussed during the class would be provided by none other but their classmate, Mr. Barstow.

Spike caught the flash of surprise in Xander’s eyes as he stepped up to stand next to the lecturer but he quickly put his head down, eyes intent on the piece of paper before him.

“I call this ‘Lost Love’”

“He’s lost him,
life is painted in darker colours now
joy is as lost to him as he is
he only knew how much he needed him after he was gone

He’s lost him,
he’d like to scream and blame gods and demons
but he knows
he was the one who made him leave

He’s lost him
he would do anything to have him back into his arms
speak any words, take any actions
he would kill and die for him
if only his love would return.”

When he was finished, Spike looked up, intent on catching Xander’s eye but the brunet was nowhere to be seen. He saw Buffy shrug sadly at him and closed his eyes to block the tears.

There goes that then.

---------------

Xander was in the middle of storming off in a huff when he heard someone running after him and calling his name.

“What?” He snarled, turning around to glare at whoever was following him.

“What the hell is wrong with you? He just told the whole class he loves you!” Willow demanded, glaring right back at him.

“He was ashamed of me. He dumped me for a fraternity. Why are you taking his side?”

Xander turned away to continue storming off but before he could more than a few steps, he was faced down by a very angry-looking Willow.

“I am not taking his side! You’re my best friend in the whole world and I love you more than anything but you are a stubborn ass.”

“I am not -” Xander started to protest but was immediately interrupted.

“I’m not done yet! He messed up, okay? He’s lucky I was there to hold Buffy back, she was getting ready to use all those military moves Riley taught her. He was totally at fault and he hurt you. But he’s trying to make things better and if you don’t let him then it will be your fault. You will be the one doing the hurting.”

Xander just stood there, shocked into immobility by Willow’s outburst.

“You can speak now, I’m done.”

Xander kept staring.

“Xander? Did I break you?” Willow asked worriedly, waving a hand in front of his eyes.

“You really think I’m a stubborn ass?”

“Only sometimes,” Willow replied and offered a small smile.

Xander nodded thoughtfully. He stood there for a moment, head bowed and looking at nothing.

“Are you still leaving?”

“No…I don’t know…he hurt me.”

“I know, sweetie.” Willow stepped closer, putting her arms around him. “But you kinda need to get over that. I’ll make sure to give him the shovel speech this time, so he knows what’ll happen if he does it again,” she joked, smiling at him gently.

“Yeah.” Xander sighed and walked back to the classroom, telling himself that he was a grown-up, he could do this, no need to hold Willow’s hand on the way.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he felt a warm hand clasp his own.

“So…wanna go to The Bronze after all the drama’s done?”

------------------

Spike took his place at the very back of the classroom, only half-listening to his classmates to rip his work apart. What they thought no longer mattered, he’d only done this to prove to Xander that he would do anything to win him back. He’d failed miserably. He deserved it, what the hell had he been thinking dumping Xander like that? Sodding idiot was what he was, a stupid git with no appreciation of real happiness. Fucking arsehole.

“If you hurt me again Willow’s coming at you with a shovel.”

The earnest voice broke his internal castigating of himself. Spike looked up in surprise to see Xander sitting next to him, looking at him steadily.

“You’re back,” he said inanely.

“I am,” Xander agreed. “But it’s an all or nothing deal.”

Spike leaned towards Xander, intent on kissing him, but before he could even come close, Xander had retreated.

“All or nothing, Spike. I’m not going to hide and I don’t want to be just a fuck-buddy.”

“Hell, pet, do you even have to ask? Of course, ‘all’! Now, come here.”

Spike reached out to touch Xander’s face, pushing his fingers backwards, into his hair, pulling him close. Just as he was about to finally kiss him a voice rang out.

“Mr. Barstow, I may not be familiar with the customs in British universities but I’m fairly sure they do not include making out during class.”

Spike could feel heat flare from his cheeks as the whole class laughed at the professor’s words. He saw Xander smile at him and start to move back.

Sod it, I’m Spike and Spike gets what he wants.

So thinking, he pulled Xander back close and kissed him hard.

Epilogue

SIX MONTHS LATER

Xander opened the door pulled Spike inside and, slamming it closed, pressed his boyfriend against it for a deep, long kiss. He licked along Spike’s lips, enjoying the familiar texture and taste, waiting for the blond to moan before he explored further.

Five minutes later, the door was shaking from the pounding it was receiving.

“If you don’t open the door right now I swear I’m taking Spike’s cds and selling them to the first person who’ll have them!”

Spike immediately pushed Xander away. Pouting slightly Xander stepped back and opened the door to a laughing Buffy and Willow.

“Told ya that would work,” Buffy said to Willow triumphantly before turning to mock glare at Xander. “You don’t get people to help your honey move in and then slam the door in their face. Have we taught you nothing about good manners in all these years?”

So asking she stepped inside, depositing the box she was carrying on the floor.

“Now where’s my pizza, I was promised food in exchange for muscle power.”

Xander wrapped his arms around Spike, resting his chin on Spike’s shoulder. “It’s on its way. Just dump the boxes somewhere and we’ll unpack later.”

Twenty minutes later, the apartment was littered with boxes and the four of them were sitting down to dinner.

“Oh, oh!” Willow bounced excitedly, “You didn’t ask Buffy if she dumped Riley yet!”

Xander looked at his friends suspiciously. “Should I bother asking or are you just giving me false hope yet again?”

Willow shook her head energetically, “Nope, no false hope here. Ask away!”

Grinning widely Xander turned to Buffy. “Have you dumped Riley, yet?”

“Yup!” Buffy laughed.

“Well, good. He was a dumb ox and didn’t deserve you.” Xander smiled smugly and leaned back against Spike.

“Now ask her why she dumped him.” Willow prompted when Xander didn’t seem about to continue the conversation.

“Why did you dump Riley, Buff?” Xander asked obediently.

“Angel’s back from L.A. for good and he’s chasing me again,” Buffy said smugly.

Xander sat up, glaring at his friends. “That’s not funny!”

“It’s true though,” Willow snickered.

“Oh God, no!”

Spike watched them curiously, wondering why the name seemed so familiar. Then he remembered.

“Wasn’t that the guy who saved you from the crazy bint who tried to kill you?”

Xander groaned and shifted to hide his face in Spike’s shoulder.

“Yup,” Willow replied cheerfully, “Xander hates the guy.”

“Well, he’s all broody and woe-is-me all the time. He acts like the King of Pain! And nobody gets their coat to billow like that without some serious practice. I’m telling you there’s something seriously wrong with him.” Xander protested gesticulating wildly.

He pouted as the girls only laughed harder at his words.

“Spike? You’ll hate him with me, right?” He asked, turning puppy eyes towards his boyfriend.

“Sure, pet,” Spike laughed and dropped a quick kiss on his lips.

Satisfied that he now had an ally, Xander reached for another slice of pizza. Life was good, he decided, listening to Willow tease Spike about being henpecked. He was out of the basement of doom, he had Spike, he had his girls, and if he played his cards right in a couple of more months he’d be promoted.

Now if only he could find a way to get rid of Angel. He started thinking of an elaborate plan to force his nemesis to run back to L.A. with his tail between his legs. Maybe he could ask Cordelia for help, he hadn’t seen her in a few months but she was always up for some mayhem.

“Xander…”

He looked up to find Buffy glaring at him, arms crossed over her breasts.

“What? I wasn’t doing anything!”

The End

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