Love is...

Title: Love Is Sharing
Series: Love Is…
Author's Name: Scarlet
Author's Email and URL: scarletsfiction@yahoo.com www.geocities.com/karenmnick
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon and UPN own Buffy the Vampire Slayer in totality. No profit is made from this piece of fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Distribution: Anywhere, just let me know.
Rating: PG
Pairing: Andrew/Spike
Feedback: Yes!
Dedication: To Kaz and Katie.
Author's Notes: Takes place in the vague area of Lies My Parents Told Me. Andrew reflects on the general coolness of Spike.

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Spike is so cool.

Take today, for example. Things got pretty heated in the kitchen. I mean, I’m a generous guy. I didn’t say anything about the pizza rolls or lunchmeat or the last Dr. Pepper. And when Faith took the last Hot Pocket-even though it clearly had my name on it-I tried to be forgiving. But today there was only one Red Baron individual sized pepperoni pizza circling in the microwave and I wanted it, but so did Faith and Rona and Vi. Now, I know what you’re thinking. I had no chance in Hades of getting the last pizza, right?

Well, the argument started to get bad. I‘m talking Defcon 1 here. And just when it looked like Faith might join the Darke foe for the sake of a microwave pizza, Spike walked in.

Did I mention that he is so cool?

“What are you girls yelling about? A vampire can’t get a lick of sleep with you three yapping in here.”

“It’s cool, Spike. Just a difference of opinion.” Faith smirked at Spike, as if sharing an inside joke.

“That’s the thing, girls. You can’t have differences of opinion.” I could see him getting ready for a big speech. The kind Buffy gives. I hoped it wouldn’t be too boribut but I don’t think anything Spike could say would be *that* boring. “This is an apocalypse, ladies. We don’t have time for your petty arguments or your little feuds. Is this what you’re going to be doing when The First appears? Are you going to be bitching about food just when we need to be together? It’s this kind of thinking that’s going to get you killed.”

“Whatever.” Faith left the kitchen and even though she almost knocked me off the counter when she left, it was a cool exit.

“Now, you two have to find a way to overcome your differences. We have to all be together now, whether we like it or not. How about you two go in and tell Harris you’re hungry and out of food? I’m sure he’ll be glad to leave Estrogen Central to get hamburgers.” Vi and Rona gave him suspicious glances, then finally left to find Xander.

That’s when the microwave dinged. “There. You want to split it with me?” I looked around the kitchen then and guess what? There wasn’t anyone else there. He was talking to me!

So Spike just ripped it in half and even though his piece was way bigger than mine, I took it. It was so cool! And then he asked me how I was doing. Like it was no big deal. We just sat there on the kitchen counter and ate pizza like…like friends. He didn’t say much, but I think he could feel the bonds of brotherhood forming.

Now, don’t tell anyone but Spike is kind of messy, too. I mean, they say no one is perfect but you don’t expect that to include vampires. It’s kind of cool when you think about it. When he was almost done with hizza,zza, I noticed a little tomato sauce on his chin. I tried to point it out, but no matter how hard he stretched his tongue, he couldn’t reach it. It was a big blob, too. So I helped him out. Cause that’s what friends do. I just rubbed my thumb over his chin and got it.

I don’t think vampires like to waste food. Must come from the whole “drain them dryntalntality. Anyway, after I wiped the sauce off, he grabbed my hand and put my thumb in his mouth. Here’s something I learned; I thought vampires were supposed to be cold but his mouth is so totally warm. Maybe it was the pizza. His tongue is kind of rough, like a cat’s tongue or like sandpaper. He licked my finger clean and stared at me the whole time. I usually hate it when people stare at me. Generally, it’s because of something I say but I hadn’t said anything so I don’t know wh did did that. Maybe he wanted to know if there was any sauce len hn his face. Spike staring didn’t bother me the way it usually does, though. It made my feel really…nice.

“You’re all clean,” I said. He just sighed and jumped off of the counter.

“You can have the rest of mine.” He seemed really disappointed. Maybe the pizza wasn’t what he expected. Microwave pizza is never as good as the real thing.

“You don’t want it now?”

“Vampires and pizza don’t usually mix.”

“Oh…because of the whole garlic thing, right?” I nodded sagely.

“No, we just don’t like them very much.”

“Oh.”

Then he left. So, uh, I learned some very useful things today. Vampires don’t really like pizza, but they’ll eat it if it means the little locust don’t get it. Their mouths are sometimes warm. And something about sharing, too. They like to share.

Did I mention that Spike is so cool?


***

The Rocky Horror Picture Show is one of the most underrated films of all time. Spike agrees. It’s cool that we agree on stuff. I mean, we didn’t really agree so much as I put the tape in and he didn’t leave the room. But he thought it was underrated. I could tell.

The potentials have no taste. They wanted to watch some girlie movie that didn’t even have Julia Roberts in it. Why bother? But even Xander said he would watch and now we are all sitting in the living room. The music starts and I think some of the potentials are even getting into it. Barry Bostwick is so hot.

It’s weird. I feel like I should check on Spike. Like I should make sure he’s having a good time. I know this isn’t my house or anything, but sometimes I feel like a hostess. Or, uh, host. Buffy doesn’t really care about stuff like that. I look at Spike and he doesn’t appear *un*interested. That’s a good sign. I’m good at picking out movies. Jonathan even said so. He…

I stop. I can’t look at the television. The light is too bright. I remember now why I like this movie. Jonathan liked it. He could sing all of the words. I take a deep breath and turn to look at Spike but he is already looking at me. I wonder if he knows I’m having one of those redemptive moments we talked about. Probably. Vampires are very in-tune with humans.

***

I have a confession. Meatloaf scares me. Not the food, the singer. And when he comes onscreen, I usually have to fast forward. But I can’t now because I’m watching with other people, which is cool and different at the same time. Usually it’s just me watching by myself when I’m at home. But anyway, Meatloaf is scary which is why I in the kitchen making popcorn instead of in the living room.

Popcorn is a tricky thing. If you pop it too long in the microwave, it’ll burn. But if you don’t pop it long enough, then all you get is a little handful of popcorn and a bunch of useless kernels. You can’t follow the button on the microwavat sat says “popcorn” either because that is always wrong. So I’m trying to find the perfect time. This is the third bag and it better work. There’s only one more and Buffy will kill me when she finds out I ruined the other two.

“Having trouble?” Spike must have to go to the bathroom. He’s just stopping by on the way, probably.

“The microwave is kicking my ass!”

He grins at me. “Popcorn is a tricky thing.”

“Yeah.”

“I once put a fork in the microwave,” he admitted.

“You didn’t!”

“I did. Nineteen ninety-two. Dru didn’t let me live that down for two years.”

“That’s tough.”

“Yeah.” We’re quiet for a minute trying to think of something to say.

“I think maybe I just have to have faith, you know? In the microwave, I mean. Not the slayer.”

“I got it.”

“Well…”

“Good luck,” he says, then he’s gone.

This time, the popcorn is perfect.