Careless, Reckless and Free
Xander dropped into a crouched position and ducked his head, stilling every muscle of his body. A few heartbeats of held breath revealed no other noises around him, which was more alarming than anything. He spat out a curse between clenched teeth and tapped his gun to his ear piece. "Get me the fuck in there, Spike!"
"I seem to remember you saying that in bed this morning. Tsk, tsk, luv, repeating yourself. I know you're more clever than that." Xander let out a quiet sigh. His eyes squeezed shut in frustration, he could just see the smirk on Spike's face. Warring impulses rippled through him, joining the adrenaline already soaring in his veins. Tension. Anticipation. Excitement. Arousal.
"William. Stop it. The last thing I need right now is to think about you naked." He heard Spike's laugh, the ratatat of the keyboard drowned out for a second.
"Too late isn't it?" Again the smug voice sounded in his ear and Xander grinned in spite of himself.
"You're going to get me killed, you know. I need to concentrate."
"Never that." Spike's voice was deadly serious now. The pounding of the keys rang like gunfire in Xander's ears. "You have twenty seconds to cross the hall and get through that door. Go on my mark. Five, four, three, two, one. Mark."
Xander launched himself down the hall, running in a low crouch, guns ready in both hands. He could see the metal door he was meant to reach, mere feet away, and for a second there it seemed ridiculously easy.
"You're not keeping something from me, are you Spike?" He kept his tone light, ducking to his left. Banter was a vital element in most of their operations. It was that or letting two dominating egos fight it out at the absolutely wrongest possible time.
He touched the door with both hands, feeling it out before trying the doorknob. It turned easily, and he slipped inside, closing it behind him with barely a whisper of its hinges. He couldn't see a thing.
He took in another deep breath, centering himself just like Spike taught him. Stop. Breathe. Focus on the senses still at his disposal. Once again it was deathly still, the only sound a faint electrical hum coming from over on the other side of the room. Another deep breath. He didn’t smell anything, no faint traces of any one else. He exhaled slowly, his heartbeat sounding loud in his ears.
"I’m in." Even he could barely hear the words as they were breathed out on the faintest puff.
"Turn to your left. Very slowly." Spike leaned back in his chair, working the kinks out of his hands. He watched the monitor closely, the feed stuttering a little. "Shit." The uplink wasn’t as stable as he would've liked. Even a second’s delay could be disastrous. He spun to his right and typed in a few commands. The feed cleared instantly. He nodded once, then spun back around. Nothing. Damn if the new cable wasn’t a miracle. He could see the room as clearly as if he were standing right next to Xander. "Nothing there. Turn to your right." He watched as Xander’s head turned, seeing the desks and chairs, but no people. No telltale signs of motion detectors either. "All clear."
"Spike, this is too easy. Are we sure they haven’t changed locations?" Xander took a cautious step forward, eyes slowly becoming accustomed to the dark. According to their information, there should have been three filing cabinets against the far wall. But the wall was bare save some kind of picture. Xander took another step forward, squinting a little. He couldn’t see what the picture was, just that there was some kind of frame on the wall.
"Yes." Spike frowned. This was far too easy. Something wasn’t right. He leaned closed to the monitor, staring intently. Some kind of picture on the wall. No filing cabinets. He let out a low growl, then paused, something glittering just on the edge of Xander’s line of sight. "Wait. Turn to your left again."
Xander slowly complied, for the first time noting the almost imperceptible glimmer of light. "Spike, what’s that?"
Spike squinted, the fingers of his right hand tapping nervously on the spacebar of his keyboard as he brought his face up to a mere inch from the monitor. His senses were dulled by the barrier, and it unnerved him. "Look up." Xander did. Spike's eyes went wide. He looked up at the second monitor displaying the building's layout. "Well, well..."
"Spike? Talk to me. C'mon."
With a quick shake of his head, Spike brought his attention back to his partner’s hands, aching to do something concrete. "I think it's a door."
Xander made a face. "What? There isn't supposed to be a door here." He got closer still and ran the tip of his fingers over the faint light. Up-close, he could barely see it, and his fingers only met solid plaster. He closed his eyes and swept his fingers back and forth over the faint golden glow. There was definitely a seam there. It blended in almost perfectly with the wall, set closely enough that it was barely visible. Moving to the right he could just make up the bumps of the hinges.
"Spike, it’s definitely a door. Where is it leading?"
"I’ll be damned. Right to the safe." Spike let out a low whistle. "All you have to do is pop the door and you’ll be five feet from the safe."
"Well, that does save me quite a bit of time." Xander knelt down, pulling a thin piece of fiber optic cable from the utility pack on his back. "Looks like I should just be able to get this through." The plaster was flaking off here and Xander could smell the paint. This hadn’t been in place for very long. There was barely enough room, but after careful twisting, he forced it through, hooking the other end into the feed to Spike.
"What’s it look like?" Xander pressed his ear to the door, straining to hear something, anything, the quiet wreaking havoc with his nerves.
"It looks like we have a problem." Xander felt the hair on the back of his neck rise. Spike never sounded that serious.
"What kind of problem?" He automatically checked to make sure the safeties were flipped off and that the spare clips were within easy reach.
"There’s fifteen of them in there. All armed. And two are sitting directly on top of the safe." Spike licked his lips, weighing their options. "We could abort." He didn’t want to, they'd spent far too much time preparing for this just to back away now. But there was no way he was placing Xander into any more danger than necessary.
"Is that your recommendation?" All bantering was over now. Xander pushed away from the door, preparing to evacuate. "What’s the weapons situation? Anything more than handguns?"
Spike’s fingers flew as he zoomed in on the images coming from the room. "No. Just your standard Glocks and whatnot. No Uzi’s, no rifles. No flamethrowers."
Xander snorted. So Spike was still mad about that. "Hey, how was I to know that your hair was so flammable?" He heard Spike’s snicker, the mood lightening some. "You think you can distract some of them?"
"Yes." Spike pulled up the security codes, eyes flicking back and
forth. "You still want to do this?"
"Hell, yeah." Xander moved away from the door. "I think I should stick with the original plan though."
"No, I have a better idea. Do you have the timers?" A stupid question, Spike knew he did. He put them in Xander’s pack himself.
"Of course." A slow smile crossed Xander’s face. "Oh, I like that. Blow the door while I go in back. Nice."
"I think so. Get to it, I’ll work on my end." Spike forced himself to turn away from watching Xander set the charges. "Be careful." He couldn’t keep some of his fear from creeping into his voice. It didn’t matter that he knew Xander could take care of himself. He still hated it when they had to do this on the fly.
"Always, my pretty," Xander mumbled, distancing himself from the other man's voice. Had to concentrate. He blindly reached for the explosives in the bag behind him and set to work. With sure fingers he placed a generous amount of the malleable plastic on the bumps he identified as hinges. He reached back again and retrieved the timers, setting them up over the charges. Then he stood there for a second, hesitating. He patted his pockets. "Spike. Wires."
"Side pocket, with your pliers," Spike answered immediately, not looking up, and he added an edge to his voice, mostly to cover his nervousness. "Where they always are."
Xander felt around said pocket and fished out the thin red wire. He recognised Spike's tone for what it was and chose to disregard it. He squinted, steadying his fingers to connect each end of the small wire to each timer, and set the top one to 5:00. His thumbs hovered over the 'start' buttons and he stood up. "I'm set. How is it on your end?"
Spike bowed his head for a moment, giving into the temptation to just stop and savor the sound of Xander’s voice before he sent his love off to war. His eyes narrowed and he forced all his concentration back to the matter at hand. "I'm all set. When you get to the room tap twice and I’ll trigger the alarms." Pale fingers traced across the images on the monitor, the ghosts of Xander’s sight. "Ready?"
"Yeah." Xander nodded twice and hit the start button. He waited just long enough to see the green numbers click to 4:58 then he turned and eased out the door. He started down the dark hall, guns held low but ready, every sense attuned to what was around him.
He moved warily through the halls, stepping from shadow to shadow. One part of him was mildly offended by the lackadaisical attention paid to security. For all the fortune contained in that safe, he expected better than just piling brute force into one room.
He pressed himself into the wall, going still as he heard voices ahead of him. Shit. He managed to swear only in his mind. Damn, he didn’t want to drop anyone yet, the element of surprise was one of their allies in this. But, he glanced down to his watch, he only had another 98 seconds to get in place. If those idiots didn’t move, well, he would have no choice. He automatically reached down and slid the gun in his left hand into the holster on his thigh, his hand sweeping back to pull the pistol with the silencer from the small of his back. He pushed off from the wall, stalking forward, ready to go. One step, two steps. He raised his arm, tensing as he leaned around the corner. The men’s backs were to him and he watched as they continued down the hall. A grim smile unconsciously touched his lips as he slid the pistol back into its holster. So close to death and they would never know it.
Sixty-seven seconds now. He ducked his head around the next corner, catching a brief glimpse of his objective. Sure enough, there was a group of them sitting on the safe, playing cards. Well, it was nice to see they took their job seriously. He darted across the hall and eased his way into the door, heart pounding. Xander carefully left the door open just enough to be able to see out, but not enough to be noticeable as being open. He glanced down. Forty seconds. He thought quickly: take it down to 20, get half out first.
He reached up, covering the ear piece, tracing a finger along the curve. He almost spoke, wanting to hear Spike’s voice. Instead, he contented himself with picturing Spike’s serious face, remembering the way Spike had run a finger down the side of his face before sending Xander out tonight. A quick shake of his head brought him back to the present. Twenty seconds. He tapped the ear piece twice. Alarms split the air not a heartbeat later. Xander heard the muffled "Fuck!" then footsteps pounding down the hall. He counted the figures running past. One, two, three, four, five, six, all past in a blur. He tensed, counting in his head. Ten, nine, eight, seven, six. On five he opened the door, glancing back to make sure there was no one waiting for him. Perfect calm descended over him as he stepped towards the entrance to the room. Showtime.
A loud boom reverberated through the building as the door blew out, smoke and dust and wood flying everywhere. Xander stalked into the room, firing rapidly into the confused mass of men.
It always amazed him the way that time seemed to slow whenever he was in these situations. He could see every thing in crystal clear detail, could feel the space in between his heartbeats stretching out for what seemed like hours. His eyes darted around the room, memorizing the shock on the men's faces. There were nine of them, all armed. Three were lying on their backs on the floor, blood running from the various places where they were hit by the debris from the door. The other six looked stunned, only now starting to comprehend that the person coming through the door wasn't one of their colleagues. Six to drop. His mind automatically sized up the threat each presented, prioritizing his order of attack. He vaguely heard their screams, but those were drowned out in the sharp crack from his pistols. They dropped one after the other, grabbing their arms, their legs, wherever it was his bullets pierced their flesh. He flung himself onto the floor as the only man still standing managed to pull out his gun and fire at him. He fired as he rolled across the floor, cutting the man off at the knees. He leapt back to his feet, ejecting the spent clips and inserting fresh ones in a well-practiced movement.
Time suddenly sped up again as he realized the only sounds were the screams of the men and the wailing of the alarms. He exhaled slowly, trying to calm down enough to concentrate on the tricky task ahead.
"All clear." Xander winced
as he heard the near shout come from his mouth. Spike's hearing was sensitive
enough that he knew he just caused the vampire a lot of pain. "Sorry about
that."
"S'okay, mate. I had the ear piece on the table." Spike wrapped the
wire back around his ear, eyes flickering back and forth between the monitors.
"I see you took care of that lot. The rest are still chasing about. I give
them two minutes to realize nothing's wrong and get back to you." He managed to
keep his voice level. Gods, he hated it when he had to stay behind, when he
couldn't be right next to Xander, ready to protect him from any harm.
"More than enough time." Xander knelt next to the safe, reaching into his pocket for the paper with the combination. "I'm going to open it now." He punched the numbers into the keypad and stepped back as the door slowly swung open. None of the information they gathered indicated that the door was booby trapped, but it didn't hurt to be cautious. He waited a moment more, then, sure that it was safe, he leaned back down. "Jackpot."
Spike grinned, basking in the familiar feeling of taking someone else's possession - something he hadn't quite grown out of since his Scourge days. "Like candy from a baby."
Xander sat on his heels and stared at the metal box prominently displayed in the middle of it, along with a manila envelope propped up in an angle against it. "Yeah, except with stealth, considerable risk, and a few casualties."
"Bah. They were in the way." Spike reclined in his chair, feeling a little more confident. He took the pen he had tucked behind his ear and started flipping it deftly between his fingers.
Xander could hear him do it, and he smiled. He could work a lot better with Spike relaxed on the other end. He reached inside the safe and retrieved the box. Xander chuckled when it just flipped open, unlocked, to reveal a baggie full of... diamonds. He shook his head, smirking. "Spike, I'm living a bad cliché."
"Yes, you are. But if you don't get out of there soon, you won't be living much of anything at all," he pointed out offhandedly. Xander's smile widened when he heard the click of the stud in Spike's tongue hitting the back of his teeth join the flipping of the pen. It was a strangely soothing sound, something Spike only did when he was nervous - but only sort of nervous. He let out a sigh - he was still good.
"I'll be right there, honey," Xander falsetto'ed, taking the baggie out of its velvet nest and shoving it unceremoniously into his pack. He did the same with the envelope. "But seriously, I feel like I should be hearing a slammin' techno soundtrack right now. You know, like in the movies." He put the box back, exactly as it had been, and closed the safe door, standing up and looking at the unresponsive bodies on the floor. He chose not to dwell on that.
Spike's eyes never left the monitor, seeing just what Xander was seeing. He knew where the other man's thoughts had wandered to. He kept his tone light. "Ah, but this ain't a movie, love."
Xander snapped back into action and reached down for one of his guns. He weighed it in his hands, carefully peeking out the door for the other men. Nothing yet. Shouldn't be long. Time to get a move on. "But it HAS to be a movie, Spike. Vampires aren't real. They don't exist."
"Is that right," came the amused voice in his ear.
"I'm sure of it." He ducked right and ran across the deserted halls, already seeing the door he first came through.
"Well we'll make sure to debunk that theory tonight, then."
"I'm counting on it." The tingle in his limbs told him he wouldn't get rid of the adrenaline anytime soon - he was certainly up for a little 'debunking' later on. He reached the metal door without a hint of an incident, and turned back to look behind him before opening it. "I'm out. Gimme ten seconds tops."
"I'm right where you want me."
"As always," they both added, and Xander grinned and bolted out the door. He dashed across the pavement and around the crate he'd been crouching behind earlier, and there it was. The SUV's faultless black finish shone under the midday sun, with its side door open and waiting to engulf him.
He heard Spike's voice both in his ear and from a few feet ahead, finally. "I'm--"
The world exploded around him. Xander felt a hot sting as something ripped along the side of his right arm. He fell to the ground, spinning to lie on his back. He tried to settle into a defensive position and was annoyed when his arm refused to lift the gun. "What the fuck," the thought crossed his mind as he raised his left hand, trying to find the source of that sound, knowing that there was a threat close by. He managed to lift his head up just in time to see the man running towards him drop backwards to the ground, blood pouring from the bullet holes in his head and chest. Xander staggered to his feet, his blood pounding in his ears, drowning out all other sounds.
"Xander, get the fuck in here NOW." The scream cut through the haze and Xander turned back and threw himself into the truck, landing squarely into Spike. Spike yanked the door shut while simultaneously pulling Xander close.
Spike's hands flew frantically over Xander's body. He ruthlessly locked his rising panic away while he searched for the source of the blood streaming down Xander's arm. Fuck. Fuck. He knew this would happen, he knew they should have waited until after sunset when he could have gone with Xander. His fingers found the cut where the bullet grazed Xander's arm. A graze, just a graze.
"Spike, what, what happened?" Xander shook his head, trying to pull together his thoughts. It had all happened too fast. He'd been surprised. He shouldn't have reacted like this. He winced as Spike pressed his palm to the wound.
"Someone came out behind you. They shot at you. I shot them. Now be quiet and let me fix that," Spike hissed out.
"I'm fine. We don't have time for this. We have to leave. Right now." Now that the initial shock was over, the pain was beginning to hit, and he felt... mad. It hurt just enough to be annoying, but not enough to be anything serious. Xander pulled away from Spike's embrace and settled behind the steering wheel. "It looks worse than it is and I'll be fine until we get home." He gunned the engine and did a quick u-turn, purposefully spilling Spike off the seat. Where there was one, there were more. And they had to get away. He ignored the growling coming from the back and concentrated on heading downtown, away from the warehouse.
He'd been careless. He'd screwed up. Only slightly, but there just wasn't room for error. Ever. Xander felt like punching something. He shrugged off his pack while doing 80 around a curve. Another thud and muffled curse came from the back. Xander kept his eye on the rearview mirror. Clear. For now.
"I screwed up."
Spike squeezed himself past him and dropped into the passenger seat, obviously in as foul a mood as Xander was. He propped his foot up on the dash and rested an elbow on it, looking away. "You survived," he said coldly.
Xander felt his own temper flare up. "I was shot at. I was hit. Do you know WHEN was the last time I got it? Huh?"
"You're FINE."
"CHICAGO. It was Chicago. HAVEN'T BEEN HIT SINCE."
"Yeah, you're a regular James Bond."
Xander shot him a glare. "We could've done this better."
Spike sighed, still looking out the tinted window with false interest. "It went fine. In fact, it went swimmingly. Things go wrong, Xander. They go wrong all the time." He turned to Xander, worked up. "And not that I'm not enjoying this misdirected anger thing, but can you spare me for a sec here? I happen to care very much whether or not your sorry ass gets shot at. So give me a fucking break, will ya!?"
Xander glowered at him then looked back at the road in front of him, counting the blocks separating them from home.
The slam of Spike's door echoed in the garage as he leapt out of the vehicle. It was all he could do to keep from muttering, not wanting to give Xander even that much satisfaction. His jaw clenched tightly as he ripped open the side door, gathering up the equipment. He didn't like to leave his laptops here; the carriage house was too easy to break into. This was New York after all and the thieves were always one step ahead of the security systems. He didn't look up when he felt Xander move next to him, helping to unhook the cables. He couldn't look up - he wasn't through being furious yet.
Xander suppressed the urge to haul off and slug Spike by the barest of margins. How could Spike be so cold about this? He fucked up, plain and simple. Hadn't taken even the barest precautions in exiting the building. Jesus, he knew better than to just go walking out without checking his six. He was getting complacent, comfortable, settled. And it was going to get him killed.
Xander pulled the weapons cases out of from under the bench, daring a glance at Spike as he did so. Spike looked livid. Good. Xander could practically see the fury rising in him. Good. Let him scream. Let him yell. Let him do anything but this damn cold shoulder treatment that he knew, KNEW drove Xander nuts. He hated this, hated the silence more than anything. It made him feel like they were back to the beginning, two people barely able to tolerate being in the same state let alone the same room. Let Spike curse him, let Spike shove him, let Spike take off for the rest of the night only to come back right before dawn reeking of expensive beer. Let him do anything but this.
"Do you have all the spare
clips?" Xander flinched as Spike's voice sounded in his ear.
"Yeah. Is there anything else you want to clear out of here?" Xander
hopped out, turning to pull the cases after him. He staggered a little, the
high from the adrenaline rush finally fading, leaving him worn. He sucked in a
breath, pushing away the pain. His arm was beginning to burn, not too badly,
but enough to be a nuisance.
"No, the rest can wait until morning." Spike cast a glance around, making sure that everything was off. He nodded once, then eased out, locking the doors behind him. He set the computers down and moved over to stand next to Xander.
"I'll take these. You get those." Spike picked up the heavy cases easily, the muscles barely flexing under his shirt. He turned to look at Xander, finally able to now that they were safe at home.
Xander opened his mouth, ready to argue, ready to point out that he was not a child and he was more than capable of carrying whatever he wanted - but he went still at the expression on Spike's face. Spike's jaw was still clenched, but it wasn't in anger. Sure, rage was still present in those remarkable eyes, but it was buried under worry and fear.
Xander cursed at himself.
Christ, he was a fool. Here he was blathering on and on about how careless he'd
been when Spike was the one who had to save his ass. He swallowed hard, trying
not to shake when the vision of the last time he had to save Spike appeared
before him. Gods, he could still taste the fear in his mouth, could still
remember the absolute terror of watching as the bullet creased Spike's cheek.
And now it was Spike's turn to feel that same way. He knew just how scared
Spike must feel right now - the sick combination of relief, agony and anger.
And how did he react? By yelling at Spike. Oh yeah. He was an idiot alright.
"Fine." Xander slung the straps over one shoulder, gathering the packs in the
other hand, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as Spike looked at
him, startled by the lack of argument. "I want to get inside. I really need to
shower."
"Right." Spike stepped aside as Xander opened the doors, backing away from the dying rays of light. Just a few steps to the canopy covering the back door. Spike grabbed the cases tightly, then took off, dashing across before even starting to smoke. He watched as Xander lowered the door then set the alarm.
Fine. Xander was fine. He kept repeating the words over and over in his mind, trying to make himself believe it. Fine. Xander was fine. He stared as Xander slowly crossed the short distance, eyes roaming over the strong body. Fine. Xander was fine. He stood still as Xander stopped right next to him, their bodies suddenly very close together. Without thinking, Spike reached up and traced a finger through the dust and grime smearing Xander's face. They stayed there for a moment, Spike's hand resting lightly on Xander's throat, his thumb directly over the pulse beating there.
"C'mon Will, let's get inside." Xander reached behind Spike, punched in the code to key open the door, then gently tugged the vampire in behind him. The door led to the extravagant kitchen, bathed in a faint blueish glow that reflected off the stainless steel from a night light by the Sub-Zero.
Xander dropped his burdens just inside the door. They could put everything away later. Right now they something far more important to do. They had to patch things up. In a hurry, before it deteriorated to something stupid that WOULD get them both killed.
In the quasi-darkness, Xander reached out and grabbed a handful of leather, mouth crushing into another without a hint of gentleness. The lips against his bit back angrily, and hands grabbed Xander by the arms, fingers digging into the aching muscles.
Xander flinched slightly as the fingers slid across the wound on his arm, but he never stopped his attack on Spike’s mouth. He threw himself backwards, turning slightly to avoid crashing into the island in the center of the kitchen. He felt the cold steel of the refrigerator door bite into his back and he arched away, pressing his body fully against Spike’s. He felt Spike’s lips bruising under the fierce assault of his teeth and tongue, but he couldn’t stop. He had to devour Spike, had to try to pull the vampire into him, to become one with him. To assure them both that they were still here, were still together. His hands moved to Spike’s waist, pulling them even closer.
Suddenly he was spinning, Spike shoving him hard across the room, trapping Xander against the island. The hands on his arms moved down his sides and Xander vaguely registered the loud slam of the guns on the counter behind him, the loss of the weight pulling him slightly off balance. Spike’s mouth pulled away from his lips and Xander whimpered at the loss.
"Don’t you ever," the words
were panted hard in his ear as Spike began licking the sweat from his neck.
"Ever," Spike slid one hand into the small of his back, retrieving the pistol
there, fingers lingering to caress the top of his ass. "Ever scare me like that
again."
Xander shuddered as the possessive growl sounded through him, desire thrumming
in his veins. This, this was more like it.
Xander's head snapped back as Spike's mouth slowly moved its way from his ear down his throat and then under the collar of his shirt. This was definitely more like it. He ran his hands down Spike's back, pulling the vampire firmly against him, hips slowly grinding back and forth, back and forth in an unconscious rhythm. He felt Spike slowly unbuttoning his shirt and he moaned deep in the back of his throat. Gods he needed this, needed to burn the adrenaline away, needed to reassure himself that yes, he was still here, yes, he was safe and whole, yes, Spike was here in his arms, right where he belonged.
His hands wandered up Spike's back and he began to stroke up and down the cold marble skin. Spike was still unbuttoning his shirt very very slowly, Spike's tongue tracing the path of his fingers. Xander felt the shudders running through Spike's body and he smiled. He loved Spike like this, overcome with passion and lust. A harder shudder went through the man in his arms and Xander abruptly snapped out of the fog that Spike's touch wrapped him in.
"Spike, are you alright?" He tried to pull away, but Spike wouldn't let him, the strong hands on his waist holding him still.
"Perfectly fine. Shut up and kiss me." Spike pressed his lips to Xander's and Xander complied, helpless to do otherwise. They lost themselves in the kiss, all thought driven away. Another shudder forced Xander to yank back.
"Will, seriously," Xander managed to push Spike back a step and that told him all he needed to know. "You're not fine." Xander moved down the counter, heading for the light switch, almost afraid to turn on the light.
"I said, I'm fine," Spike growled, reaching out to pull Xander back. "It's not that bad."
Xander ignored the imploring hands and reached over, turning the lights up just enough so he could see Spike's face. He hissed at the pain reflected in Spike's eyes. Christ, it looked like Spike was in agony. And trying desperately to ignore it.
"Will, no bullshit. You're far from fine." Xander clamped down on his desire and turned for the refrigerator. "You need blood."
"No, Xander, I don't need blood, I need you." He stilled, one hand on the refrigerator handle. The quiet words were whispered in his ear and he could feel the need and longing they contained running through his veins. He dropped his hand and turned into Spike's embrace.
"You've got me."
Spike looked at him wordlessly, eyes anything but dead, alive with pain and worry and need and unbelievable, absolute adoration. They bore into Xander's, unwavering. Then Spike nodded softly and brought his mouth to Xander's, as gentle as he had been forceful earlier.
If he focused on the warm body curving around his, the searing pain that throbbed through him could be ignored, pushed back. It crept from the back of his skull, where it had exploded when he had fired the gun at a human, and slithered down his spine and seeped into each limb, seizing all the muscles, twisting his insides. Like an agonizing numbness, everywhere and nowhere at once, incapacitating. He could barely stand the pain, but what he definitely couldn't ignore was the split second after the chip ripped at his brain, when he thought, fleetingly, that it wasn't worth it. The guilt at possibly one day not reacting in time to save Xander's life because of his own comfort was gnawing at him possibly even more than the crippling pain. He had become adept at hiding said pain from Xander, but sometimes, when he was tired or when he felt safe, his guards slipped and Xander would see. He hated himself for that. He shouldn't have to worry about that.
Spike's lips slipped between Xander's. His tongue caressed the soft flesh between his blunt teeth, feeling Xander's breath warming his own lips. Spike's fingers hovered over Xander's neck, feather-light touch against his jaw and down his pulsing jugular to tangle in the obstinate curls under his ear. Spike moaned and deepened the kiss, and Xander's strong arms enveloped him, holding him solidly against his large frame.
He pulled his mouth slightly away, the need to say the words as desperate as his need to answer to the feel the burning flesh under his palms. "Xander," he sighed the name, the wonder of having this man as his still so fresh, so sweet. "Xander, love you."
"I know," the words were murmured back into his lips as Xander stripped off his shirt. "I know. Love you too." Then there was no more time for speech as they stumbled through the kitchen, limbs entwined as they tried to walk and kiss and rip the clothes from one another all at the same time. Spike growled in frustration as the clasp on Xander's holsters stuck and he yanked furiously, determined to just rip them off.
"Don't, these are my last set." Xander leaned back, gasping in air.
"We'll order more tonight." Xander's eyes deepened to jet black as the passion in Spike's voice threw gasoline on the fire between them. Without another thought he reached down and ripped the leather open, Spike's hands already hard at work on his other leg. As soon as his hands were free he reached up and began unbuttoning Spike's jeans, tracing his fingers over the firm line of Spike's erection.
"Couch or floor?" There was no way they were making it up two flights of stairs to the bedroom.
Spike stopped in the middle of unzipping Xander's pants, eyes darting around
quickly. "Couch. Lube's in the drawer of the table."
"Good thinking," Xander panted out as Spike yanked his pants down, boxers coming with them. He absentmindedly noticed that they were both still wearing their boots. He caught Spike's eye as he looked back up, amusement glittering in the vampire's eyes. Once again, naked except for the boots. They really needed to stop doing that.
"Let me get those for you." Spike dropped to his knees, nuzzling against Xander's groin, nipping slightly, just enough to let the taste of Xander's skin curl across his tongue. A long, low hum of pleasure escaped from him, tingling across Xander's skin. Then he shoved Xander down on the couch and his fingers went for the boot laces. He yanked the obstructive footwear off and threw them over his shoulders, running his hands over the muscled calves and thighs. Xander grinned at him, hair tousled and short of breath. He was gorgeous, all flushed and naked, all lean muscles and sweaty skin. Spike groaned and settled between his lover's knees, fingers tickling the outside of his thighs, and bent to take a hard nipple between his teeth.
Xander's head fell backwards. "Argh. You're killing me here."
Spike chuckled then bit down. Xander jumped. "HEY!"
Spike reluctantly let the fine silver ring drop from his lips. "Still tender, baby?" He ran his hands soothingly up and down Xander's sides. Shit, it had only been a few weeks since the piercings, and Xander was already sensitive in the first place.
"A little, c'mere." Xander tugged Spike up, lying back so that Spike was
sprawled on top of him. He began tracing lazy circles on Spike's Adam's apple
with his tongue while his hands slowly kneaded Spike's ass. Spike groaned as
Xander slowly worked a finger between his cheeks, fighting desperately to keep
from thrusting back. He stretched up, hands flailing blindly for a moment as
Xander's lapped across his nipples. He vaguely registered the crash of a lamp
as he fumbled in the drawer.
"Got it." He grinned triumphantly as he leaned back down. "How do you want to
do this?"
"Like this, want you to ride me. Need to be in you, gotta have you." Xander grabbed the tube from Spike's hand, desperate now, the need to be inside his lover a physical ache. Spike's hiss of pleasure only incited him as he quickly prepared Spike, twisting and turning his fingers to stroke the vampire exactly as he needed.
"Ready?" The only response was an incendiary kiss as Spike settled a knee on either side of Xander's body. A tiny portion of Xander's mind noted that they were going to have to have the couch cleaned again. Then all thought stopped as Spike impaled himself on Xander's cock in one swift move.
"Xander, fuck, so good, you feel so good," Spike growled out as he began to move, timing his actions with the thrusting of Xander's hips. He ran his hands up and down Xander's chest, tugging gently on the nipple rings. He was rewarded with a sharp gasp and a sudden tilt of Xander's hips that slammed Xander into him deeper then before.
"No, Will, you, you're everything, everything, so good, so tight, love you, love you," Xander's words grew ragged as they moved faster and faster. He reached up and began to stroke Spike's shaft, his eyes locked on Spike's face. Spike's eyes were closed and his head was thrown back, throat fully exposed, every muscle in his long, lean body taught. "So beautiful, you are so beautiful."
Xander felt Spike's short nails dig sharply into his knees, surely drawing blood. He grunted and squeezed Spike in his hand, lifting them both clear off the couch. Spike reached and took a fistful of hair in the back of Xander's neck and came with a stifled groan, hunched over his lover. The feel of lukewarm semen spilling over his hand and onto his stomach pushed Xander right off kilter and he came too with one last forceful thrust, sinking into the plush cushions.
Flushed skin cooled by the body draped over him, Xander stayed quiet for a while, catching his breath. The dead weight on him lay still, with only his fingers moving, fluttering idly over Xander's hip. Xander breathed in the familiar smell of hair dye mixed with cigarette and the fruity shampoo Spike refused to admit he liked.
He grinned at no one and reluctantly hoisted them off the couch in a tangle of limp and sticky limbs. Trudging up the carpeted stairs, stopping only to pick up the filthy clothes strewn across the floor, both men threw each other genuinely tired looks.
"What a day."
"I'll say."
"What's tomorrow?"
Spike grinned as they stepped inside their bedroom. "Nothing. Tomorrow is a little holiday for you and me."
Xander dumped their clothes on an upholstered chair and fished a pair of dark blue silk boxers out of their dresser and threw them at Spike. "Laying low, eh? I can work with that." He took out another pair for himself and slipped them on, together with a fresh white t-shirt.
In spite of today's events and the subsequent crankiness and kiss-and-make-up, Xander now felt like a million bucks. A million tired bucks. With a sleepy grunt he joined Spike under the thick comforter and yawned. A strong arm instantly pulled at him and a cold nose nestled itself behind his ear. Xander fought sleep for only a moment more.
Ah yes, this was the stuff. Screw bullets.
TBC
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