Saying It With Flowers
folder
BtVS AU/AR › Slash - Male/Male › Spike(William)/Xander
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
Views:
2,159
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Category:
BtVS AU/AR › Slash - Male/Male › Spike(William)/Xander
Rating:
Adult +
Chapters:
16
Views:
2,159
Reviews:
68
Recommended:
0
Currently Reading:
0
Disclaimer:
I do not own Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BtVS), nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.
Chapter 5
Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pairing: Xander/William
Rating: G then R then NC17 ( but not till later…..he he he)
Author: Mightbeme
E-mail: Lee_Michelle_t@hotmail.com
Feedback: Yes please
Disclaimer: Not mine, don’t own em (pout…stamps foot….dammit) they belong to Joss etc.
Spoilers: Up to Grave and then we take a left and head off road.
Thanks: To my wonderful friend Meg for encouraging me to finish this and for being the best beta in the world. Thanks also to the wonderful people who sent me feedback, and to Seige and Sofy for their insights.
Notes: Thoughts in * * flashbacks in # #
Saying It With Flowers
Part 5 Xander
“Brrrreeeeppp….bbrrrreeeepppp….brrreeeppp”
I groaned groggily, arm flailing as I fumbled for the alarm, managing to swipe the off switch with my fist. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I rolled out of my tangled sheets, nearly hitting the floor on the way. I stumbled out into the still dark living room, yawning widely on my way to the kitchen, needing my customary cup of java to really wake up.
William’s door creaked open as I passed and he peered sleepily out at me. He looked very young, his bleached blonde hair tousled from sleep, his clothes way too big for him. That was when I noticed he was wearing my old clothes to sleep in. Guilt washed over me, I hadn’t been very nice to him. I pushed the unwanted feeling away, telling myself it wasn’t my problem. Flushing I snapped a little harshly at him.
“Go back to bed, its only 5.30 in the morning.”
“Oh I heard you get up” he yawned and I frowned at him, all he needed was a teddy bear tucked under his arm and he could be 10 years old.
“I’ve got an early start. I have to be at work in a half hour so go back to sleep.”
“All right.”
He closed his door and I went to the kitchen to brew the coffee. While I was waiting for the kettle to boil I pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a short note. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to be a bit more generous. I snagged a couple of bills from my wallet and folded the note around, scrawling William’s name on the front. I left it propped up on the kitchen table, occasionally glancing at it as I ate breakfast and drank my coffee. Ten minutes later I was dressed and headed to work, hoping that I didn’t have a repeat of yesterday in store for me.
Luckily, my day turned out much better than I initially thought it would, and at the end of the day, the crew was miraculously ahead of schedule. The drainage problem from yesterday turned out not to be so bad after all. Friday had put a good mood in me and as I drove home I wondered if William had found my note, used the money I had left him. Hell Spike would have just stolen it out of my wallet as I slept.
# That's my radio! #
# And you're what? Shocked and disappointed? I'm evil! #
But I suppose William wasn’t Spike, a concept I was still having trouble grasping. Sure he didn’t act like Spike, but dammit he looked like him and that was beyond annoying. I kept waiting to see the familiar sneer on that arrogant face. The one that made my blood boil just thinking about it. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles whitening under the strain of my memories.
# Yeah, maybe you should do that, Spike, just run along. #
# You know, I guess you know all about that, don't you the king of the big exit. Heard it brought the house down. #
# I don't need this crap from you. #
# Right. Let's not listen to Spike. Might get a bit of the truth on you. #
#Okay, okay. Heh. Calm now. Let's, uh, turn around and release this very manly thing the other way. #
#I forgot. Willy Wannabite can't hurt me. Dumb to pick a fight, I guess. #
# Guys...#
# More than happy to beat you right through the pain, you pathetic poof. #
I shook off the memories, shutting them away as I pulled into the parking lot. It’s Friday, end of the week, time for some fun…. I had to stop reliving all this shit. Home at last, I jumped out of my truck taking the steps to my apartment two at a time. The door was locked and I let myself into the quiet rooms, flipping the light switch on. The smell of flowers hit me again, the soft fragrance of the ones on the side table and a stronger scent. I wandered into the kitchen and found another vase on the table. My note propped up against it. When I picked it up the money I had left dropped out, scattering onto the table. I scanned the page and found Williams elegant flowing script beneath my own sprawling writing.
*Thank you for your kind offer of assistance Alexander, I feel I must decline, as I have no wish to impose upon you further. My employer has stated that she will advance me some of my earnings and I am indebted to you enough as it is. Your kindness to me shall be repaid shortly, many thanks. William.*
I stared thoughtfully at the note and shrugged. It was not what I had expected but neither was William. I bent down and inhaled the scent of the flowers, sparser this time, only two different blooms in the vase. I thought the flower with the large, yellow heads, wide green stems and leaves were called irises. A cloud of delicate white blossoms surrounded them. They were deceptively simple and I smiled at their nodding heads and sweet fragrance.
A sudden banging at the door startled me and I strode over to open it. Buffy and William almost fell through laughing and giggling like children. I frowned at them as they juggled several large packages. William was protesting that Buffy shouldn’t be carrying anything, as he was quite capable of carrying his own things.
“Been having fun I see.”
“Oops hi Xan, we’ve been shopping.”
“So I see, your boss must have given you a hell of an advance William.”
William’s lip quivered at my aggressive tone but then straightened his shoulders, clutching his packages to his chest as he answered.
“She was kind enough to advance me a half my first weeks pay, which was enough for me to buy some necessities. Buffy, gracious as ever, helped me find some reasonably priced clothing and shoes. She gave me the rest of these as a present from a relative of mine, who I can’t for the life of me remember. I’m beginning to think it was a ploy to get me to accept her generosity.”
I frowned and rubbed my forehead, this was just what I needed. I could feel a doozy of a headache coming on.
“Angel…… Buffy did you have to tell him?”
Buffy’s eyes flashed as she moved to drop her packages on the coffee table.
“Of course I did, you don’t think he’d want to know?”
“So I suppose we can expect to see tall dark and broody soon then?”
“No, he said he didn’t want to…..you know bring on any bad memories.”
William set his packages down next to Buffy’s pile and sunk into the couch. Buffy cheerfully dug into the mound and began pulling out toiletries. She grabbed an armful and headed to the bathroom to put them away.
“You know this person….this Angel … Alexander?”
“Yes…he’s not my exactly my favourite person. And yes he does have a connection to you, and why are you calling me that?”
“What….Alexander?”
“Yeah, I hate that name.”
His blue eyes clouded over and his expression closed up, his voice was quiet with hurt. I felt guilt surge through me as I watched him. I had no idea why but William had a knack of getting under my skin.
“I’m most sorry Mr Harris that I overstepped my place, I’ll just take these to my room.”
He stood stiffly and went to gather his packages, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. The regret in his voice was almost more than I could stand. The contact with his warm skin shocked me anew and I felt las last of my irritation drain away.
“No don’t, it’s just that I don’t like to be called Alexander, its what my parents call me. I’d rather you call me Xander or Xan ok.”
He stared up into my face, his eyes a little unfocused a tiny smile on his lips.
“As you wish, I just thought Alexander suited you, it’s such a strong name.” he smiled wider, his voice light and teasing.
“Perhaps I should call you Alex?”
I smiled back at him, momentarily forgetting everything but the cultured sound of his voice and the deep blue of his eyes.
“I’d like that.”
We stood for a few moments just looking at each other till Buffy’s laughing voice broke in from the bathroom.
“Hey William come on we’ve got some things to do, get in here. ”
As I dropped my hand, a flash of something I couldn’t identify ran through me. I watched as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I wondered what the hell they were doing in there. My stomach growled and I decided to go make us dinner. Rummaging around in the fridge I pulled out some steaks and threw them into the frying pan. Turning on the heat and letting them sizzle while I liberated salad ingredients from the crisper. I sliced some tomatoes, onions, shallots and cucumber into a bowl, tossing them together with half a head of lettuce.
When dinner was nearly ready I went and knocked on the bathroom door. Without waiting for an answer I twisted the handle and peered inside. My mouth dropped open at the sight. William was on his knees bent over the bath and Buffy was perched beside him, running her fingers through his hair. Bright colour streamed out into the tub and down the drain. I blinked realising that William was shirtless and quite flustered. Buffy used a hand held hose to rinse the dye from William’s hair, but she too was breathing quickly. Her hands were not just moving through his hair but along his neck, in a very familiar manner. Anger slammed into me and I barked out that dinner would be ready soon before I slamming the door shut behind me.
tbc
Pairing: Xander/William
Rating: G then R then NC17 ( but not till later…..he he he)
Author: Mightbeme
E-mail: Lee_Michelle_t@hotmail.com
Feedback: Yes please
Disclaimer: Not mine, don’t own em (pout…stamps foot….dammit) they belong to Joss etc.
Spoilers: Up to Grave and then we take a left and head off road.
Thanks: To my wonderful friend Meg for encouraging me to finish this and for being the best beta in the world. Thanks also to the wonderful people who sent me feedback, and to Seige and Sofy for their insights.
Notes: Thoughts in * * flashbacks in # #
Saying It With Flowers
Part 5 Xander
“Brrrreeeeppp….bbrrrreeeepppp….brrreeeppp”
I groaned groggily, arm flailing as I fumbled for the alarm, managing to swipe the off switch with my fist. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes I rolled out of my tangled sheets, nearly hitting the floor on the way. I stumbled out into the still dark living room, yawning widely on my way to the kitchen, needing my customary cup of java to really wake up.
William’s door creaked open as I passed and he peered sleepily out at me. He looked very young, his bleached blonde hair tousled from sleep, his clothes way too big for him. That was when I noticed he was wearing my old clothes to sleep in. Guilt washed over me, I hadn’t been very nice to him. I pushed the unwanted feeling away, telling myself it wasn’t my problem. Flushing I snapped a little harshly at him.
“Go back to bed, its only 5.30 in the morning.”
“Oh I heard you get up” he yawned and I frowned at him, all he needed was a teddy bear tucked under his arm and he could be 10 years old.
“I’ve got an early start. I have to be at work in a half hour so go back to sleep.”
“All right.”
He closed his door and I went to the kitchen to brew the coffee. While I was waiting for the kettle to boil I pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a short note. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt for me to be a bit more generous. I snagged a couple of bills from my wallet and folded the note around, scrawling William’s name on the front. I left it propped up on the kitchen table, occasionally glancing at it as I ate breakfast and drank my coffee. Ten minutes later I was dressed and headed to work, hoping that I didn’t have a repeat of yesterday in store for me.
Luckily, my day turned out much better than I initially thought it would, and at the end of the day, the crew was miraculously ahead of schedule. The drainage problem from yesterday turned out not to be so bad after all. Friday had put a good mood in me and as I drove home I wondered if William had found my note, used the money I had left him. Hell Spike would have just stolen it out of my wallet as I slept.
# That's my radio! #
# And you're what? Shocked and disappointed? I'm evil! #
But I suppose William wasn’t Spike, a concept I was still having trouble grasping. Sure he didn’t act like Spike, but dammit he looked like him and that was beyond annoying. I kept waiting to see the familiar sneer on that arrogant face. The one that made my blood boil just thinking about it. My hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles whitening under the strain of my memories.
# Yeah, maybe you should do that, Spike, just run along. #
# You know, I guess you know all about that, don't you the king of the big exit. Heard it brought the house down. #
# I don't need this crap from you. #
# Right. Let's not listen to Spike. Might get a bit of the truth on you. #
#Okay, okay. Heh. Calm now. Let's, uh, turn around and release this very manly thing the other way. #
#I forgot. Willy Wannabite can't hurt me. Dumb to pick a fight, I guess. #
# Guys...#
# More than happy to beat you right through the pain, you pathetic poof. #
I shook off the memories, shutting them away as I pulled into the parking lot. It’s Friday, end of the week, time for some fun…. I had to stop reliving all this shit. Home at last, I jumped out of my truck taking the steps to my apartment two at a time. The door was locked and I let myself into the quiet rooms, flipping the light switch on. The smell of flowers hit me again, the soft fragrance of the ones on the side table and a stronger scent. I wandered into the kitchen and found another vase on the table. My note propped up against it. When I picked it up the money I had left dropped out, scattering onto the table. I scanned the page and found Williams elegant flowing script beneath my own sprawling writing.
*Thank you for your kind offer of assistance Alexander, I feel I must decline, as I have no wish to impose upon you further. My employer has stated that she will advance me some of my earnings and I am indebted to you enough as it is. Your kindness to me shall be repaid shortly, many thanks. William.*
I stared thoughtfully at the note and shrugged. It was not what I had expected but neither was William. I bent down and inhaled the scent of the flowers, sparser this time, only two different blooms in the vase. I thought the flower with the large, yellow heads, wide green stems and leaves were called irises. A cloud of delicate white blossoms surrounded them. They were deceptively simple and I smiled at their nodding heads and sweet fragrance.
A sudden banging at the door startled me and I strode over to open it. Buffy and William almost fell through laughing and giggling like children. I frowned at them as they juggled several large packages. William was protesting that Buffy shouldn’t be carrying anything, as he was quite capable of carrying his own things.
“Been having fun I see.”
“Oops hi Xan, we’ve been shopping.”
“So I see, your boss must have given you a hell of an advance William.”
William’s lip quivered at my aggressive tone but then straightened his shoulders, clutching his packages to his chest as he answered.
“She was kind enough to advance me a half my first weeks pay, which was enough for me to buy some necessities. Buffy, gracious as ever, helped me find some reasonably priced clothing and shoes. She gave me the rest of these as a present from a relative of mine, who I can’t for the life of me remember. I’m beginning to think it was a ploy to get me to accept her generosity.”
I frowned and rubbed my forehead, this was just what I needed. I could feel a doozy of a headache coming on.
“Angel…… Buffy did you have to tell him?”
Buffy’s eyes flashed as she moved to drop her packages on the coffee table.
“Of course I did, you don’t think he’d want to know?”
“So I suppose we can expect to see tall dark and broody soon then?”
“No, he said he didn’t want to…..you know bring on any bad memories.”
William set his packages down next to Buffy’s pile and sunk into the couch. Buffy cheerfully dug into the mound and began pulling out toiletries. She grabbed an armful and headed to the bathroom to put them away.
“You know this person….this Angel … Alexander?”
“Yes…he’s not my exactly my favourite person. And yes he does have a connection to you, and why are you calling me that?”
“What….Alexander?”
“Yeah, I hate that name.”
His blue eyes clouded over and his expression closed up, his voice was quiet with hurt. I felt guilt surge through me as I watched him. I had no idea why but William had a knack of getting under my skin.
“I’m most sorry Mr Harris that I overstepped my place, I’ll just take these to my room.”
He stood stiffly and went to gather his packages, but I grabbed his arm to stop him. The regret in his voice was almost more than I could stand. The contact with his warm skin shocked me anew and I felt las last of my irritation drain away.
“No don’t, it’s just that I don’t like to be called Alexander, its what my parents call me. I’d rather you call me Xander or Xan ok.”
He stared up into my face, his eyes a little unfocused a tiny smile on his lips.
“As you wish, I just thought Alexander suited you, it’s such a strong name.” he smiled wider, his voice light and teasing.
“Perhaps I should call you Alex?”
I smiled back at him, momentarily forgetting everything but the cultured sound of his voice and the deep blue of his eyes.
“I’d like that.”
We stood for a few moments just looking at each other till Buffy’s laughing voice broke in from the bathroom.
“Hey William come on we’ve got some things to do, get in here. ”
As I dropped my hand, a flash of something I couldn’t identify ran through me. I watched as he walked into the bathroom and shut the door behind him. I wondered what the hell they were doing in there. My stomach growled and I decided to go make us dinner. Rummaging around in the fridge I pulled out some steaks and threw them into the frying pan. Turning on the heat and letting them sizzle while I liberated salad ingredients from the crisper. I sliced some tomatoes, onions, shallots and cucumber into a bowl, tossing them together with half a head of lettuce.
When dinner was nearly ready I went and knocked on the bathroom door. Without waiting for an answer I twisted the handle and peered inside. My mouth dropped open at the sight. William was on his knees bent over the bath and Buffy was perched beside him, running her fingers through his hair. Bright colour streamed out into the tub and down the drain. I blinked realising that William was shirtless and quite flustered. Buffy used a hand held hose to rinse the dye from William’s hair, but she too was breathing quickly. Her hands were not just moving through his hair but along his neck, in a very familiar manner. Anger slammed into me and I barked out that dinner would be ready soon before I slamming the door shut behind me.
tbc