Truth Denied

Spike and Xander sat in the dining room and looked at the picture, both of them staring at the brush strokes that manifested a likeness of Xander that even the artist hadn't seen. Xander looked down at the penis and blushed as he remembered Ben's question.

Ben came back with tall glasses of lemonade for each of them and sipped his, looking at the picture as Xander turned as red as the wall he was painted in front of. “So, are you?”

Xander spluttered his lemonade. “You can't be serious!”

“Look, I was a gentleman when you showed up naked at our door before, and I was a gentleman when you showed up at Priape with your pants around your ankles, but now I'm damned curious how accurate Chad was, just from seeing you on stage. Boy's either a genius or very... urm... specific in his likings.”

“I'm cut, okay? Parents woulda done anything to make raising me easier, if cutting it off meant they would have had to wash me less often, they would have done that.” Xander snorted and rubbed the back of his hand against his nose, pretending nonchalance.

Spike rubbed his back and nodded. “It's alright mate, you'll get to learn all about an uncut cock from me, since they had no such thing back then.” He smiled and ruffled Xander's hair.

Xander smiled and looked away, “I know already, it's one of the reasons why I hate my parents, wish the damned things grew back, wish I had one.” He lamented, not able to look at either man.

Spike lifted his chin and smiled. “If that's what you want, they got surgeries now for that, so we can talk about that later, yeah? Right now we got other worries.”

Xander gave a bark of a wry laugh, and rubbed a hand through his shaggy hair. “Yeah, out of everything we really shouldn't be worrying about something like my fantasy of regrowing a foreskin!”

Spike took out the paper bag and pulled out the single pillar candle inside. “We never used this to rescue you.”

Xander snorted and tossed the candle from hand to hand. “You never actually finished rescuing me, maybe it'll still come in handy.”

Spike took it from him and looked up and down it's thick length. “Doubt we'll ever use the whole thing, but can't see it ever being a bad thing to have, what'd she say again? 'The light that it falls on is protected from harm, and only lamb’s milk will put it out.' That's right, right Ben?” Spike asked, looking at Ben.

“Precisely, what have you got, a photographic memory or something?” Ben asked, looking at him stupidly.

“Or something, pays to remember what you're told when you're a low level demon trying to earn or rather make your way to the top.” Spike smirked to himself, feeling the wax. It felt warm and welcoming in his hands, safe, homey, like he should light it and leave it lit till it burned out. It deserved to be lit, the wick shouldn't be unlit like that, that was wrong... He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

“Okay, this candle has a magic all it's own, it wants me to light it.” He turns it over, the sticker on the bottom had directions for lighting it, for twenty four hours, which would burn it half way down, which was as far as the wick went. After that, you were to put a tealight in and burn that until it burned out, and the tealight would pass the prayer on.

“Ben, do you have any tealights? Just in case we do need this light?” Spike weighed the heavy candle in his hand.

“Oh yes, me and Steve were candle aficionados we have candles for every occasion,” he smiled brightly, which quickly turned brittle. “I have candles for every occasion, I mean.”

“Okay, well then, we're set. We should get some lamb’s milk before we light it or we'll be a sorry sight with no apartment before we know it. You guys ready? Maybe we can convince the cops to let us into our apartment to get Xander's things, now that he's back... come on, we've got stuff to do.” Spike got up and dusted off his hands, and helped Xander to his feet, giving him a peck once he was fully vertical. It made Xander blush, but he never pulled away, and he pecked back.
 

~*~

The cops let them back into their apartment and told them they were allowed to clean up and stay. They'd taken all the evidence they could, and with Xander back, they weren't likely to catch the culprit. 

Xander fell on his bed with a relieved sigh, ignoring the black fingerprint powder on every surface, and the fact that his bed had no sheets. After a few minutes of bliss at being able to be alone, he got up to and went to the laundry room and found the linen closet. He got his bed's linens and went and made his bed, then sat with Spike in the living room. “So where you going to put it?”

“What?”

“The picture that Chad sent...”

“I didn't think you'd want me to put it up.” Spike looked at him, wide eyed, totally shocked.

Xander was confident but he spoke softly. “Chad painted it. I posed... took all my courage to pose, and he painted it for you. Spike... it's like a duty left to you, you have to put it up... besides, it's not like you get a ton of guests, but in all seriousness, can I please ask you a favour about it's placement?” Xander looked at Spike with wide hopeful eyes.

“Sure Xander, anything, it's a picture of you, anything you want.” Spike was serious, he'd only put it up someplace that Xander was comfortable with it.

Xander took a deep breath. “Hide it in your office or bedroom? I don't want it where anyone can see it, please? Pretty please?” He looked at Spike hopefully, even clasping his hands together in prayer.

Spike laughed. “I wasn't about to put it just inside the door or anything, don't worry. I think my office will be great, can see it when I want a private moment, then I can see you, looking out for me. It's perfect Xan, thank you, so much.” Spike kissed his temple.

“Thank you? I didn't do anything! I just told you not to put it out in the viewing public areas.”

“You posed, I got a terrific present, and you didn't freak out when I got it. Thank you, I mean it. A short while ago, me getting a naked painting of you would have had you all agog and unable to talk. Now you're telling me where you'd prefer it hang; big step up darling, big step up.” Spike smiled and squeezed Xander's hand.

Xander smiled and blushed. “Thanks, I guess... I guess I'm not as broken as I thought I was anymore... I guess I've already started to heal... Think Hallmark makes any 'thank you for putting me under a mind bending curse, it's allowed me to see the light and heal emotional scars' cards? Because I'd really like to send one to Ethan right now. He's helped me deal in ways no amount of therapy could ever have helped me deal... especially this fast!” Xander marveled while Ben looked at him curiously, not sure what he was talking about.

They all drank their lemonade, and enjoyed their company, happy for the first time in a long time.