“Nobody touches the boy,” Spike said, venom in the voice that was too quiet for anyone but the other vampire to hear, before Spike pressed the stake slowly into his chest. Finally, the tip of the stake touched the vampire’s still heart, and he exploded. Spike growled low in his throat, then turned to assess the damage to Xander.
//Wait a bleedin’ minute. Since when do I go on a rampage to protect the boy? Sure, he’s my friend, but I…// Spike mused as he stalked over to Xander, who was wiping at a small cut on his cheek. //Bloody hell. No goddamned way. There’s no soddin’ way I’m…no. I’m not going to say it. I’m not in love with…Oh, bloody hell.//
“You okay Harris?” Spike snarled. He was NOT going down without a fight, dammit. He was going to fight this feeling for all he was worth. William the Bloody was not going to fall in love with a human, let alone Xander Harris. It just wasn’t going to happen.
“Fine, Bleachy. It’s just a scratch.” He swatted away Spike’s probing fingers.
“Just checking,” Spike said defensively, stepping back. Xander gave him a funny look.
“Wanna go back to the Magic Shop? Or should we just head in?” Xander asked the vampire.
“Well, the Watcher’s pretty angry at me for that crack about pedophiles…maybe I shouldn’t go back there for a few days,” Spike said with a smirk. Xander rolled his eyes.
“I wish you wouldn’t do that.”
“Do what?”
“Insult my friends! You’ve already got them against you just being a vampire. If you keep baiting them, they’re going to stake you no matter WHAT I say.” Xander turned and started walking toward his apartment.
“They don’t all hate me,” Spike started.
“No. Just Buffy and Giles. They’re the most dangerous, Spike. You know that.”
“I’m not afraid of them. Haven’t killed me yet, have they? I’m just having a bit of fun with them.”
“Yeah, I know. But they don’t think it’s funny. Could you just…lay off, a little? Buffy’s taking this Riley-leaving thing really hard, and if you keep making cracks about him or her or any of that, she’s GOING to stake you.”
Spike was silent for a moment, and Xander waited for the berating denial and insults to come flying at him. But they didn’t come.
“Spike?”
“Right then. No more wisecracks about the Slayer’s AWOL boyfriend, or the Watcher’s preference in women. No problem,” Spike said cheerfully. Xander gaped at him. “What? I am capable of a compassionate thought every once in a while, you know. Damned chip’s making me soft. And I blame you, Harris.”
“Me?” Xander replied incredulously.
“Yeah, you. Between you and the chip, I’m almost as bad as the poof, only without the brooding.” Xander gave Spike a knowing look. “Okay, maybe not as bad as Dangermousse, but you get the idea.”
“Well, Spike, If it helps, I…we like you better this way,” Xander said. Spike just snorted before pulling a cigarette from the pocket of his duster.
//Yeah. It helps.//
*~*~*
Xander had come home from work quietly. Spike had stayed the rest of the night, watching late night TV, while Xander slept in preparation for a long day at work. But the rain had started in just after lunch, and the crew had to shut down for the rest of the week. Xander knew Spike would be sleeping when he got home, so he walked in quietly, trying not to wake the still vampire. He’d gone to the sitting room first, expecting to see the vampire spread on the couch, but he wasn’t there. Xander raised an eyebrow and set about searching the rest of the house. He found the blonde laying in his bed, his arms wrapped tightly around Xander’s pillow.
Xander stood there and stared. Spike had removed his black T-shirt and jeans, stealing a pair of Xander’s sweatpants to sleep in. His face was soft in sleep, not hard as it was most of the time. Xander had only seen that softness a few times. Usually, it was when they were here in his apartment, just hanging out. //He’s so gorgeous// Xander thought. //Wait. Did I just think that? About a vampire? About a GUY? ABOUT SPIKE?!// Xander stepped back suddenly, stumbling into the door jam and tumbling back onto his ass. The loud crash as he hit startled the sleeping vampire, who jumped up in full game face, snarling and disoriented. Then he saw Xander sprawled on the floor, looking like a deer in the road, and he started to laugh. Howl, even.
//Stupid hot vampire. Laugh at me.// Then Xander noticed it. The sweat pants that Spike had thrown on were much too large for him. In fact, with Spike’s small stature, they literally hung from his hips. And they hung low. They just barely covered things that should remain covered. Xander swallowed. //When did I start getting naughty thoughts about male vampires?// Xander panicked in his mind. He stood up quickly.
“S-sorry, Spike. Didn’t mean to…I’m gonna go out to the kitchen, grab a sandwich. You just go back to…sorry.” Xander hightailed it from the room, nearly running to the kitchen. Spike looked on in confusion. Now that the adrenaline of being startled awake was wearing off, he was getting sleepy again.
“What're you doin’ home luv?” he mumbled sleepily as he stumbled out into the kitchen to join Xander. He knew it wasn’t anywhere near six o clock.
“It’s raining. Crew’s shut down for the rest of the week,” Xander said quickly from his spot the fridge. He rooted around in there, then threw a bag of blood at Spike before pulling out some food for himself. Spike put the blood in a cup and then put it in the microwave.
//He called me luv. Why did he call me that?// Xander turned it over and over in his mind.
“…now, Xan?” Spike was saying. Xander gave his head a small shake.
“What, Spike? Sorry, wasn’t listening.”
Spike let out an exasperated sigh, then stared at Xander quizzically. “I said, does that mean you have the rest of the week off work, now, Xander?”
“Uh, yeah. No work for Monkey boy.”
“Stop it,” Spike said automatically.
“Huh?”
“I said, stop it. The Monkey boy thing. No one gets to insult you but me.”
“Excuse me?” Xander just about choked on the sandwich he’d just bitten into.
“You heard me. I’m going back to bed. Wake me up before Passions.” With that, Spike headed back to the bedroom. As soon as he was out of Xander’s sight, he smacked his forehead repeatedly.
//Bloody stupid git. Call him luv? Tell him he couldn’t put himself down? Why don’t you buy him a dozen sodding roses? Give him a Hallmark card. Why don’t you just TELL him you’ve gone and fallen in love with his big brown eyes and his gorgeous lips and his whole damned soul?!// Spike laid down on the bed, and cuddled up to the pillow again. He took a deep breath, inhaling Xander’s scent from the pillow, and some of his own. He fell back into sleep with a soft smile on his face.