Heat

Wesley managed to stay entrenched in the office until the children had gone.  Glad not to have to deal with them himself, and not to force Giles to deal with the snide remarks they were sure to make.  He finally ducked his head out around lunchtime.

Normally he brought something to eat at the desk while he worked, but . . . well, as there hadn't been a lot of time that morning--and Wesley found he still couldn't think about it without blushing--he'd completely forgotten.

Giles glanced up from the book he was reading, giving Wes a small smile.

"How's the translation coming along?"

Joining the older man, Wesley shrugged, shyly returning the smile.

"Uh, it's going slowly.  I can't seem to find some of my notes and . . . Well, we may have to see if the Council has a copy of the second book, as this one just cuts off."

Giles' forehead wrinkled.

"Are you certain?  As far as I remember there is no second book."

"I rather think there must be, though . . . now that you mention it . . ." Wesley stood, eyebrows drawing together as he cast his mind back.  It had been years since he'd studied the works of Trentchin, not since his first years at the academy.  Turning, he went back to the office with Giles on his heels.

Picking up the book, he examined it closely and then flipped to the last page.  He squinted at the binding before handing it over to the other man.

"It, uh . . . pages have been cut out.  I . . . I'm sorry, I . . . didn't notice."  Wesley sighed, putting a hand to his forehead and rubbing against a building headache.

"Are you all right?"  Giles set the book aside with a frown, lifting a hand to Wesley's cheek.

"Just a bit embarrassed," Wes whispered, laying his face against that hand before he'd even thought it through.  "I should have realized."

Giles' thumb moved over his skin and Wes felt himself relaxing a bit, just from that soft touch.

"You did," Giles replied and Wesley could feel him shifting closer.  Wesley's breathing picked up and he opened his eyes slowly to find the other man right in front of him, studying his face with a frown.

The bruises, Wesley suddenly remembered, lifting his face from Giles' hand and looking away.

"Was that one of the books that was out last night?"  Even as Giles' asked, he returned his hand to Wes' cheek, moving so that he stood in Wesley's line of sight again.

"Uh, y-yes.  I was . . ." Wesley looked up as a thought struck him, meeting Giles' eyes.  "You think it was the same people who . . ." He couldn't say it, was still too ashamed at being caught unaware, leaving himself so vulnerable.  Instead, he motioned to his face, eyes flicking away from Giles'.

"Seems likely," Giles answered, though his voice was a bit distracted.  Then his thumb was moving again, brushing so softly over the bruises that the touch didn't hurt at all.

"We'll, uh, need to-to find out what, uh," Wesley couldn't get himself to think straight.  His breathing was at it again, faster, shallower.  He couldn't help but glance back at Giles only to find the older man giving him a strange little half-smile.

"I have another copy at home," Giles whispered before leaning in, his lips brushing against Wesley's.

Wes returned the kiss eagerly, rubbing his lips along the other man's, his hands curling along Giles' shoulders when Giles' hands settled on his hips.  The older man made a little moaning sound and Wesley felt a flash of pride that it was because of him.  Then there was a warm, wet, tongue darting along his mouth.  Wesley parted his lips, welcoming the soft licks, feeling himself relax against Giles.

"Whoa," came Faith's voice from the office doorway.

Wesley froze, his face quickly heating to a hereto-unknown shade of red.  Giles, on the other hand, merely pulled away and cleared his throat as he turned to look at the Slayer.  The move effectively blocked sight of Wesley as he composed himself.

"Yes?"  Giles asked the woman as if nothing at all out of the ordinary had been taking place just moments before.

Wesley, having put himself as together as we was going to get, stepped from behind Giles.  He wasn't about to use the man as a shield.  Especially not if they were going to be . . .

What?  A couple?  Lovers?  Giles said a relationship, but . . . what did that mean exactly?  Brushing aside the thought, he did his best not to blush even further and addressed Faith.

"You're here to report about last night's patrol?"

"Uh, well, sorta.  I, uh didn't me to interrupt you guys, I could--"

"Faith," both Giles and Wesley said together; Giles exasperated, Wes rather embarrassed.

"Okay, I just . . . kinda needed to talk to you guys, about-about Buffy."

"She didn't show up this morning.  Is she all right?"  Giles was immediately at attention, taking a step toward Faith.

"She's not hurt, but . . . there was a . . . this guy, Finch, in . . that alley?  We, uh thought he was a v-vampire and . . . Buffy . . . Buffy's the one that--"

"Oh, god," Wesley breathed, casting a glance at Giles to see his expression had grown stormy.

"I tried to tell her that we should talk to you guys, but . . . she's like, in denial or something."

His eyes turning back to Faith, Wesley realized that there was something not right with this scenario.  Faith's tone was all wrong, as were her posture and the way her eyes shifted, the way her mouth quirked.

He was almost certain she was lying.

"Giles?" Buffy's voice called from the library proper.

Giles stepped around Faith, out of his office, "Buffy."

Wesley fidgeted, wanting to interrupt, to make certain Giles knew that Faith wasn't telling the truth, but . . . he didn't know how, not without letting Faith in on it.

"Uh. . . I don't really know how to say this, so I'm-I'm. . . I'm just gonna say it.  I know I've kept things from you before, but--" Buffy's eyes flicked to Faith as she too stepped out.  "--But, um, but I-I've been blowing off my classes.  You know, in-in the sense of not attending.  And, uh. . ."

"It's okay, Buffy.  I told 'em," Faith said, not quite able to meet Buffy's eyes.

"You told him?"  Buffy's surprised was real, but Wesley could hear that it didn’t contain any of the anger or worry it should have, were Faith's story true. 

"I had to.  He had to know what you did," Faith said. 

"What I did?  Giles, no.  Th-That's just not what happened!"

"I don't want to hear it, Buffy."  Giles sounded angry and, for a moment, Wesley was going to step in.  Then he realized what the older man was doing, or at least what he hoped Giles was doing.  The man was not blind.  He had to have seen what was obvious to anyone who knew how to look. 

"No!  It--"

"I don't want to hear any more lies."  Giles snapped, his tone so hard Wesley would have flinched had he not known what was going on. 

"You can't be serious!"  Buffy shouted at Faith.  "You're setting me up?"

"Get in my office, now.  Faith, I'll talk to you in the morning. 

"Giles, please, you have to--" Buffy sounded frantic and Wesley wished he could say something to ease things.  Shifting in his place, he kept quiet, hoping Faith would leave soon.

"Now," Giles barked. 

"Um . . . sorry," Faith mumbled before walking away.

"Giles, I didn't do this," Buffy was saying as she entered the office.  She stopped dead at seeing Wesley, her eyes widening.  Then, apparently dismissing him as unimportant at the moment--for which Wesley could hardly blame her--she turned to Giles.  "Faith's--"

"--lying," all three of them said together.

Wesley warmed at the approving look Giles sent him, ducking his head so that Buffy wouldn't see the grin he admonished himself for having.  This was hardly the time after all.