3 Inches

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Part 09

The next morning when Xander’s alarm clock goes off, Spike has gotten used to it and there is no mind-numbing panic anymore. He hears Xander groggily get out of bed and go to the shower. Spike gets up too, dressing in his black slacks only. The vampire climbs up to his living room carefully in case of the sun, though Xander has kept his word. He’s left the curtain on one big window closed so the light only shines in Xander’s living room but can’t reach the bedroom.

Some time later Xander comes out of the shower, very wet and very naked, goes into the living room and then stands there, blissfully enjoying the sun beams warming and drying his skin. He uses a towel to dry his hair and Spike, his tongue wetting suddenly dry lips, watches that delicious body for the first time. Why the hell is Xander hiding his muscular form under those scary baggy and luridly coloured clothes?

The muscles of Xander’s arms and shoulders are well defined and they flex with every movement. Atop strong legs sits a very round, tasty ass leading up to a trim waist which splays up into a broad back. Xander’s skin looks soft. It’s tanned and Spike finds himself wanting to explore every inch of it. Of course, Spike also wants to see Xander’s fat cock swell and stand to attention, head purple with need for him.

Spike shakes his head in an attempt to clear away all those tasty images. He is not wondering any more, he always found guys equally as attractive as women, just – why didn’t he see Xander like this sooner? Just wait, whelp, when I’m back to my old self, I’m gonna show you a thing or two about… Wait – is Xander interested in blokes at all? Oh bugger.

Spike hides when Xander comes into the bedroom to get clothes from the monstrous cupboard. Just when he is fairly certain Xander is at least half decent he makes himself noticeable by turning on the TV. Don’t want to make the boy all unsure in his own flat, besides, it spares me the embarrassed babble.

“Oh hi Spike! Up so early? Hungry?”
“Always hungry, greedy vampire and all.” Spike leers. Xander doesn’t seem to notice.
“Well then, here’s your ride to the kitchen.” Xander holds out his hand, so Spike can climb onto it. The vampire hugs the big warm thumb. This way, Xander needs only one hand to transport him. And Xander’s warm skin feels damn good against his own cool chest.

In the kitchen, Xander repeats the bloodletting procedure into a spoon, than gets himself some Choco Pops and milk. Happily, Spike starts feeding and Xander chews spoonful after spoonful of cereal.
“Your back looks all healed again. Does it still hurt anyway?” Xander asks, watching the vampire’s naked torso.
“Nah, mate. All good. I’m back to my stunning self.” Spike answers, one hand sweeping over well built pecs.
“That’s good.” And Xander munches on until his bowl is empty.
“Any chance I can have a shower?”
Xander looks at the vampire, sizing him up, then at the sink.
“Sure, no problem.” Xander stands up and lifts Spike over on the kitchen counter. He turns on the water, gets it to the right temperature: A bit hotter than he himself likes it. He turns the water tap so the water is pouring down on the flat part of the sink where the dishes are normally put on to dry. This way Spike doesn’t feel trapped in the depth of the sink.
“Well, Spike, have a nice shower. I’ll be back in a few.” With that Xander leaves the room, just to come back seconds later with a towel. He lays it next to the sink.
“Thanks, whelp.”
“Don’t worry about it!” Xander grins and disappears through the door.

Spike chucks off the slacks and stands under the water tap. Bloody genius the whelp is, Spike thinks. Fulfils all my wishes, looks after me pretty good. Feeds me his blood, gets me clothes, even builds me a bloody house! Just my kind of thing. Sure, you’d agree! Spike chuckles and grabs his hard cock that remembers Xander taking his personal sun bath this morning.

After the shower and a decent wank, Spike manages to turn off the water on the, for him, way oversized knobs of the tap. He rubs himself dry on one edge of the soft towel and pulls his slacks back on.

Xander appears back in the kitchen a while later, offers Spike his hand without any need to be asked.
“I have to build a series of wooden logs today. You can come and watch or sleep some down at the workshop if you want.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Here we go.”
“Clothes first.” Spike reminds Xander and the youth grins.
“Sure.”

The hours fly by between watching Xander work and sleeping on a light wood single bed Xander made. Garld and Broum come in a few times to talk or bring food. By midday Garld proudly presents Spike his new jeans and a long black coat. She’s even managed to do a pair of boots. Spike is delighted and changes immediately. “Great job, luv.”

Just shortly after five, Xander finishes work for the day. The youth is pleased with himself. The vampire this size is pleasant company and not quite the distraction he used to be. Way less annoying, also.

Carrying Spike on his hand is already second nature to Xander and so they make their way upstairs. Xander showers and changes while Spike hones his skill in ‘channel jumping’. Then they’re on the way to Giles’. This time Spike’s safely transported in the cigarette pack in Xander’s breast pocket, for it’s still light outside.

While Xander’s pace grows slower the nearer they get to the Magic Box, the more his heart rate increases. Nervousness makes his hand sweat. Spike becomes jumpier with every step.

Finally, they’re at the Magic Box and Xander is hardly through the door before Willow is right in his face. Accusingly, she rams her finger into his chest with every word: “Alexander Harris, where were you?” Protectively, Xander cups his hand over his breast pocket. “I’ve been to your house and your mom… she’s been… in this state again, you know, and she said, you moved out and a few insults about you…”
“Oh hey, Willow. Great to see you, too.” Xander interrupts her, ignoring everything Willow said and looks around the Magic Box. “Just great, everybody’s here!” He calls out, more as information to Spike, than a greeting.

Giles and Anya are behind the counter discussing finances from the looks of it. Tara is reading a book at the big round table. Dawn is fighting with Buffy as usual.
“Hi Xander. Nice of you to come by. They thought you ran away again.” Anya greets him with her blatant honesty. Dawn comes running and hugs him. “I am soooo glad, you’re still here.”
“This is not over, Dawn.” Buffy yells and nods at Xander for a greeting.
Tara waves at him shyly, half hiding her curious eyes behind her hair.
“How was your weekend with your Dad?” Xander asks Dawn and she makes a face.
“Boring. I didn’t like it, him or his girl friend. Can you believe, she’s barely older than Buffy!”
“Dawn, she is twenty-eight!”
“So what? She looks as if she’s your age!”
“Don’t start this again!” Buffy warns, putting her hands on the sides of her hip.
“Sorry to hear you didn’t like it there, crumbs.” Xander distracts the starting fight between the sisters.

“Did you know, Spike left?” Dawn asks him, eyes wide with hope. Of all the people in the room, she was the only one who actually liked Spike, even if in a teenage-crush-y way. Well, and maybe Tara. Who knows, Xander thinks, including himself in the disliked-Spike-category. It‘s got to be hellmouth-y how fast things do change here.

“Spike left?” Xander asks, surprised and shoots Willow a look. The witch starts her tirade with a red face: “Yes! Xander, you know, that fight a few nights ago. You went home and Spike brought me home and we sat outside a while after and talked, like really talked. I mean, we always had this, this special bond between us since I was the one he tried to bite when he first discovered he had that chip and he told me, he said he’d had enough of it all and wanted to leave town, start over new somewhere where nobody knows him and I guess he really left, took his things and left – poof – gone. Nowhere to be seen anymore.” She shrugs, palms upward, eyes on the floor.

Xander swallows that big, big lump that formed in his throat the longer he listened to Willow. He can’t believe Willow could lie that blatantly to cover up her mistake, to cover up that she killed Spike. At least, that’s what she thinks. However, the people here are her friends, almost like her family and surely they wouldn’t be angry at her for killing an enemy. She didn’t even do it on purpose. She might even get some nice words from Buffy for off-ing Spike. Why does she feel inclined to lie?

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