Protective Custody (1/20)COMPLETE

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


“Ah, but Spike, what kind of faithful manservant would I be if I didn’t help you reach what you were trying to get.” Xander replied cheerfully, convinced now that Spike was hiding something. “Here, I’ll get it for you shall, I?”

He kneeled down next to Spike and grabbed whatever was hiding under the jeans.

“Oh look, Spike. You came with directions.” He said as he unrolled the scroll. “Let’s see now, what does it say…”

"Manservant. Didn't take you too long to turn into a Brit, did it." He tried to snatch the roll out of Xander's hands, but this time the boy was better prepared. "You're violating my privacy, give it back to me. It's mine. It's mine," his voice trailed off in defeat.

For a moment Xander felt sorry for Spike. He sounded so lost…then he remembered how Spike was going to take advantage of him just a moment ago.

“Says here that the Wankers are leaving you in my custody and care. So you were right about one thing Spike, I’m supposed to take care of your sorry ass. But oh, look! It’s not you who gets to make all the decisions! Oh no, I get to decide what’s best for you and if you don’t do what you’re told there will be, get this, ‘dire consequences’. In short, blondie, your ass? Is mine.”

Xander looked at Spike triumphantly. His triumph, however was short-lived. Spike looked so freaking miserable, lying on the couch like that, staring at the floor.

"Get your jollies now, Harris. While you can." He had nothing left to back up his belligerence, but he wouldn't let the likes of Xander know it.

As if dismissing him from his mind, he sat up and tried to draw his legs up so he could put the jeans on. His legs felt like lead weight and wouldn't move. Bending at his waist, he tried again, tried to get his feet into the jeans. "Bloody fucking hell," he threw it at Xander's feet. "Where's my water."

The silence stretched between them.

That parched feeling didn't go away. It only got worse, now that the glass of water was in view.

"Please," he said, the word barely audible as it slipped through tightly clenched teeth.
Xander watched Spike try to get dressed, shocked into silence by the jerky movements. Spike looked like he was about to burst into tears. It was the ‘please’ that finally snapped him out of it.

He shifted closer to the couch and bent his head a bit, trying to look into Spike’s eyes.

“I know you think I’ll be a bastard about this Spike but…Look Anya went through the same thing, okay? She was all confident and strong around the others but I saw what she had to deal with. I’m not going to make things hard for you. Well, not as much as I could anyway.” He smiled tentatively. “I mean, you do have the uncanny ability to piss me off and I’m not much of a saint.”

He got up and went to the kitchen to get Spike some fresh water, giving him a chance to pull himself together.

Spike literally glowered at Xander's retreating back. He didn't need him to be nice...or want him to. He didn't want to lay here as week as a baby, or to be under the boy's thumb. Anything would be better than this. Anything. Even a ghostly existence chained to Angel. At least then, he wouldn't have to rely on favors.

He looked up at the ceiling. Bloody Wankers. They tricked him. "I've changed my mind! I'll take the other deal. I don't want to be human!" he yelled at the top of his voice. And even that was gone. Not that they would have listened anyway.

What he would give to be able to go on a rampage now. Instead, he'd been rendered impotent. This was worse than being chipped. It was worse than death. He pulled the blanket up his body, and suppressed a shiver.

Xander heard Spike yell and paused. He knew that Spike didn’t want his help. Hell, if he’d been Spike he wouldn’t have wanted the Zeppo’s help either but they were both stuck here. He went back to what he was doing. He hadn’t wanted to be stuck with Spike any more than Spike wanted to be stuck with him. He never liked the guy. Okay maybe he was getting to like him when the world was going to end but that was before Spike had tried to turn him into his slave.

Still…the guy was so weak. And he needed Xander’s help. He knew himself well enough to know that he was a sucker for people needing him. Xander looked down at the tray he had prepared. He wasn’t sure if it would help any but it was a start wasn’t it?

Picking up the tray he returned to the living room.

“Being human has its perks. One of them, and my second favourite one, is chocolate.” He said as cheerfully as he could and laid the tray on the table. “We have Cadbury, which we never got in Sunnydale and as far as I’m concerned is reason enough to move to England. We also have Thorntons, generic supermarket goodies, and last but not least, the classic American treat, Twinkies!”
Xander looked hopefully at Spike. He knew chocolate wasn't as important as, say the ability to fight but it was good enough for him.

Spike eyed the tray, then Xander, then the tray. Knowing that English butler jokes might not be a good idea, until he at least got some of that water in him, he let his eyes do the talking as he reached for the glass.

Xander let out a frustrated sigh. “Come on Spike, at least I’m trying! We’re gonna be stuck together for the foreseeable future, can’t you at least cooperate a tiny little bit?!”

At first Spike took small sips. The liquid soothed his throat, and took away a craving that was almost as strong as blood lust. Greedily, he lifted the glass, taking big gulps and spilling some out of the side. He ignored the sounds of protests coming from his stomach and drained the glass.

"Not a child, yeah?" He stared up into Xander's dark eye for a moment, before looking at the assortment on the tray. "If this is an example of the healthy meals you'll be serv... erm giving me, I think I'll be laid flat until the next millenium." You didn't have to be human to recognize junk food.

"No biscuits," he complained. He picked up the twinkie and raised an eyebrow. "No man should be caught eating one of these," he dropped it, and picked up the chocolate. Nibbling at it, he found the sweet velvety rich flavor quite addictive. Naturally, he wouldn't let Xander know he liked it. Making a face, he demanded. "Are you going to stand over me all day?"

Xander rolled his eye. Vampire or not, Spike was just as irritating as ever.

“I’ll go make dinner in a minute. Don’t eat too much you’ll spoil your appetite and oh fuck, I sound like Willow’s mother.” This time the eye-roll was directed mainly at himself. “Any preference on dinner? Could order Indian if you want. Love the curries they have over here.”

He turned to look at Spike and finally remembered a very important fact. Spike was still naked!

“Clothes! We need to get you in some clothes!”

Spike stared right back at him. "And just how do you propose to do that?"

“Well, I was thinking you could put your feet in the holes provided and maybe tug up until you’re wearing them?”

"Tried that, yeah?" Eyes still locked with Xanders, he challenged him to do the deed. Who's turn was it to get all flustered and at a disadvantage now?

“Oh…right…” Xander shifted nervously. “I could maybe help with that then. But you have to wear underwear.” He added, casting a pleading look at Spike. “It’s for your own good really; they protect the sensitive bits from the harsh denim.”

Spike's eyes widened. "First you're worried about my chafed skin, and now my 'sensitive bits'... what have they done to you while I was gone? You sound either like Mother Theresa or a bloody poofter. Which is it?"

Xander could feel the blood rushing to his head.

“I don’t…it’s not…I’m a guy and you’re newly human guy and I’m only sharing my experience.” He finally managed to stammer out.

"Well go on then." Spike started to whip the blanket off and wasn't a bit surprised when Xander rushed off. Laughing out loud, he dropped the blanket back down on his lap and waited for him to return with some shorts. Which reminded him, "nothing with any bloody cartoons on it, or hearts!" He'd caught a glimpse of Xander's skivvys when everyone had been holed up at The Slayers house before the battle against The First.

Xander let out a sigh of relief. Spike could have made this way more embarrassing, he thought as he searched for a pair of shorts with no cartoons on it. He finally found a pair that was plain. Or as plain as Xander’s underwear could be. He went back to Spike, carefully not looking at the blond’s lap, and showed him what he’d found.

“Will these do?”

"Red. Almost as bad as hearts." He shook his head in disgust, but was worried about what the next choice would be. Sliding his hand under one knee, he tried to lift his leg, then looked at Xander and shrugged. A few inches was the best he could do, the rest was up to Xander. "This was your idea," he said, reminded him.

Xander gulped. Right, he had to get close to naked Spike. He could do this, there was nothing to be embarrassed about. They were both men of the world. Right.

“Okay, here goes…” He said and kneeled before Spike. Trying hard not to think of what his position looked like, he manoeuvred the shorts so that Spike’s foot came through one of the holes. “Lift up the other one.” He said, hating himself for sounding husky.

Spike took his time. If he was going to feel belittled and mortified at his inability to do anything, then he would make sure Xander suffered just as much... he'd grab those moments when they came. When his second foot was in position and Xander started tugging the shorts up as hard as he could, Spike wanted to laugh at the desperation in the boy's movements. It was clear he wanted this to be over as soon as it could, and was squirming on the inside.

Xander was trying desperately to get this over with, too aware of the compromising position he seemed to be in. Spike, on the other hand, was clearly having too much fun making things difficult.

The dark head bobbing at about Spike’s knee level, made him think of one universal thing. Threading his fingers through the boy’s hair, he said out loud. "Hello Red, I don't think this is a good time to visit. Wait until we're done, yeah?"

Xander’s eye widened in shock and fear and he immediately jumped back, tripping on the table leg and falling down on his ass. Only when he reached the floor did he remember that Willow didn’t have a key to his apartment.

“That was so not funny.” He said, glaring at an entirely too smug-looking Spike.

Spike barely held in his laughter. "I'll need help pulling it up the rest of the way," he pointed out, nodding at the scrap of red cloth now resting half way up his thighs and very close to the edge of the blanket covering his so called 'sensitive bits.' "Here, I have an idea. I'll lift, and you pull."

“Fine. Just. Fucking. Fine.”

Xander got up and approached the couch again. This time he didn’t kneel, he bent at the waist and grabbed the waist of the shorts. By the time he realised that this position put him closer to Spike’s crotch than the previous one, it was too late to retreat gracefully so he gritted his teeth and tried to sound as calm as possible.

“Lift.”

Hands braced on the couch, Spike did as he was told, lifting his hips up. Xander's heightened color amused him. "Pull."


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