Protective Custody (1/20)COMPLETE

(Disclaimer: We own nothing. Joss owns all. You know the drill.)


"I... I...well...I might love you. I mean if you bloody stayed put, didn't ruin the dinner and the dancing, and... generally were more accessible." When Xander turned, Spike crooked a finger. "Come here. I've always been more 'action' than 'talk,' yeah. Let me show you." His voice dropped an octave as his heated gaze travelled slowly down Xander's body, then went back up to his face.

Xander rolled his eye at Spike's cop out, ignoring his body's reaction to the rest of his little speech. He stalked back to Spike and, putting his hand in either side of the blond's face, he pulled him forward for a kiss.

"I love you Spike. No might, no accessibility issues about it. "

"Too much talking, too little accessibility." Spike put his hand behind Xander's head and pulled him close, slanting his mouth over the brunet's. He traced the seam of Xander's lips with his tongue, testing it, before delving his tongue inside. He slid his other hand down the guy's shoulder, to the small of his back, dragging his body up hard against his own. With his knee still inserted between Xander's legs, he started to move to the music, dirty dancing the way he'd wanted to at the club.

Xander let himself be distracted for a moment, enjoying the feel of Spike's body against his. He'd never held a fully conscious Spike in his arms like this. Except apparently he had.

He stopped dancing and looked into Spike's eyes.

"I think you put me through enough for me to have earned this Spike." He said quietly. "Would it hurt you so much to just tell me?"

"Working my way up to it, yeah?" He stared right back, half afraid, half elated. "Would it make us bloody poofters?"

"Spike, I think it's the sex that makes us poofters. And we could not have it if it'll make you feel better. In fact I guarantee we won't have it if you don't say the words within the next three seconds." Xander said, exasperation dripping from every word. "I usually try to get you to shut up not speak!"

Spike could see the boy was serious. He swallowed hard and struggled to find the words. Three words. It should be easy to say. "Alright then." Lightning fast, he plastered his mouth over Xander's, murmured the muffled words, managing to work the word "blackmail" in there somewhere, before tentatively kissing him. Rome wasn't built in a day, was it?

"Sorry, couldn't hear you over the kissing." Xander said, smiling innocently at Spike.

Frustrated, Spike bit the words out as if they were a curse. "I love you, you git. Now if you're through with your fun and games, I've got a dinner to finish cooking." He gave Xander a slight push, and strode out of the room.

Xander grinned at the retreating blond. Spike loved him! He did! He followed Spike to the kitchen, bouncing as he went.
"So, no Buffy then?" He asked, wanting to dispel that last bit of nervousness that remained.

Spike stilled for a moment, then continued slicing the tomatoes. "Don't tell her anything." Frowning, he transferred the diced vegetables to a bowl. "I'd like to let her down easy, yeah?" Now he glanced at Xander, afraid of what he'd see.

Xander tried not to show his joy at Spike's words. No point in letting the Big Bad know how much his words got to Xander.

"Let her down, for me." He said happily and snagged a bit of tomato.

"Not like I have any choice...you know the PTB...they stuck us in one place and all probably end up disappearing if I leave." No need for the boy to know about the new freedom-scroll. If he knew, then he'd be crowing even more. Probably keep making him say that love word. "Get the plates, luv... erm... I didn't mean it like..." that was the problem, he had meant it like that.

"Oh." Xander's face fell at Spike's words. "I'll get the plates then." He mumbled and left the room.

Spike followed him and set the food he'd worked so hard on onto the table, eyeing the guy. Sad, crestfallen. He didn't want him to be sad. He crossed over to Xander and pulled him into his arms. "Every word I say, you can't take it as serious. The stuff I said about you ordering me about, I thought it was funny... that you'd think it was
funny...that you'd play along. And right now, you know I don't care what the PTB bloody want out of me. I'm selfish-guy, yeah? If I'm with you, it's because I want to be. But don't go expecting me to give you flowery speeches and love talk. At least not yet. I'm doing my best here," he swept his hand around the room. "I should have known it wouldn't be good enough. And I know that I did and said things I shouldn't have. I'm trying to make it right, but if you expect more from me... I - will - fail." He didn't want Xander to accept him under any false beliefs that he would change.

Xander relaxed in Spike's arms, letting the blond hold him close.

"I'm sorry. It's just...you've been wanting her since you got back here and I didn't even think you cared for me, other than in a friend way and I wanted you so badly but you said her name and I know it was part of some stupid plan or other but it still hurt. I just want to hear it once, you know? That you could go get her but you won't. Cause you want me instead. I promise to lighten up right after." Xander offered a genuine smile. "I'll even dance macho man for you if you want."

"For the last time, then. I don't want her, I want you." He gave Xander a tiny push. "Make it a strip dance, and you're forgiven."

Xander grinned at Spike, happy to have finally gotten clear confirmation that he came first. "Hey, you got a hell of a lot more to be sorry for! You strip and then I will forgive you. But first you gotta feed me. Feed me, Spike!" He ordered and sat down on the table. "Go on then, you don't want the dire consequences do you?" He snickered.

"Careful what you wish for, you never know what bits they start erasing. It might mean the shower would be your best friend forever." Smirking, Spike picked up an asparagus with his fingers, dipped it in sauce and dangled it close to Xander's mouth. "Lick."

Xander leaned forward and licked carefully at the sauce, making sure to get all of it off the asparagus. Then he grinned at Spike and snapped his teeth through the vegetable, cutting it in half.

"Yummy."

"Mmm," he agreed and kissed him, tasting the tangy sauce as he moved his mouth and tongue. "Very yummy." Spike broke the kiss and started putting food on their plates. Then he decided Xander was too far. Hooking his foot around Xander's chair, he suddenly pulled it closer to him. "What? Is it wrong to know what you want?"

"Nope, nothing wrong with that at all." Xander shook his head earnestly. "I for example wanna kiss you and have hot monkey sex." He stated and leaned forward a bit, dropping a quick kiss on Spike's lips. "But first I wanna eat." He grinned.

"Damn... I was thinking of skipping to the sex bit right away." He poured the boy some wine. "And if you don't stop looking at me like that, that's exactly what's going to happen." Noticing the boy fidgeting, his hands shook slightly as he poured the wine. Century old ex-vamps did not get this worked up at the thought of sex. They
did not.

"If I tell you something, you promise not to laugh?" Xander asked, looking down at his plate.

"Do you believe my promises?" Spike countered, then added. "Tell me. I won't laugh."

"I do believe your promises!" Xander protested. "Your jokes, not so much. But you haven't broken a promise that I know of since you promised Buffy you'd take care of Dawn. And I'm off on a tangent now aren't I. Okay here goes...I'm nervous of the sex. Cause I haven't done this before. With a guy. Except for the time when I thought you
were asleep. Before that, nothing. With guys." The more he babbled the more Xander felt his cheeks heat up. By the end of his little speech he was sure he was fire-engine red. "You promised not to laugh." He pointed out before lapsing into silence.

Spike managed to keep it to a smirk and not to laugh. "I promise to keep you so distracted you'll forget you're a virgin to this. Besides, you didn't seem to be that worried about it in bed. You had all the right moves, yeah?" He took Xander's hand and ran the pad of his thumb over the guy's palm. "You know what you like to do in the shower with this hand? You do that to me and I'll be a very happy man." As images of just that assaulted his mind, Spike reached for his wine and gulped it down. "We're not going to make it through dinner unless we talk about something else."

Xander immediately perked up. "I was good? Really?" He asked, preening a bit. "Anya did say I was a Viking in the sack." He snickered.

Thinking of Xander in a loin cloth, furry boots and with weapons made him go instantly hard. "Eat," he growled, stabbing at the food in his plate.

"Whatever you say, Spike." Xander agreed happily and resumed eating, silly grin never leaving his face.

"Fast. Eat fast." It was all he could do not to attack the boy with kisses and touches. Especially now that he knew there would be no clothes separating them. Nothing to stop them. It would be him and Xander, and the bed, or the floor, or the wall, or the shower..."Faster."

"If I eat any faster I'm gonna choke!" Xander said, amused by Spike's impatience. "You went to all this trouble to make dinner, I want to at least taste it."

"Fair enough." There was nothing fair about it. But Spike could strip Xander with his eyes. He continued eating, but did just that. Openly leering, even leaning back to let his gaze drop to the boy's crotch and linger for a while.

Xander wasn't sure whether to laugh or moan. Spike was looking at him like he wanted to eat him instead of the food. Which led to all sorts of interesting images.

"Stop that!"

Spike's enjoyment of Xander's discomfort was cut short by a blasted phone call. While Xander handled the call, he went to the kitchen to get some more wine. At least in his distracted state, the boy hadn't really commented on his alcohol consumption.

Xander held the phone tightly and listened carefully to the voice on the other side of the call. Things were more serious than he'd thought. He sighed sadly at the interruption to his evening and went to the kitchen to deal with Spike.

He found the blond facing the counter, opening a bottle of wine. Xander walked up to Spike and put his arms around him, pulling him back against him.
"Hey there."

Spike blinked in surprise. When Xander's hands swept over his stomach, he swallowed hard and looked over at him. "Did you...ah...need something?"

"Oh yeah. Need loads of things." Xander breathed, trailing kisses down Spike's exposed neck and worming his hands under the t-shirt. "Decided I wasn't so hungry." He murmured against Spike's skin.

"You did?" Spike hissed as his stomach clenched under Xander's touch. This was better than he'd imagined. Fire and ice. He pushed back and almost groaned at the feel of Xander's erection cradled against him.


(A/N: Thanks for the comments and sticking with the story. I'm glad you are still enjoying it. Just a couple more chapters to go ::grins::)