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Bad Connectionby WesleysGirlRating: NC-17 Giles/Xander Notes: Written for Sofy in exchange for a donation to the_fund. Many thanks to Rakshathewolf and Yasminke for the betas. "It's cold," Xander complained, pressing his nose to the back of Giles' shoulder and snuggling closer. Giles chuckled. "Of course it's cold. It's Cleveland. A far cry from California." "But not from England?" Xander asked. His voice was muffled against Giles' skin. "It's usually this cold in winter," Giles said. "But it was in Sunnydale as well." There was silence for a few heartbeats -- it was the first time Xander could remember Giles, or for that matter anyone, saying 'Sunnydale' out loud since the town had collapsed in on itself. "Are you looking forward to going back?" Xander asked finally, because somebody had to say something. Giles made a noncommittal sound and twisted in Xander's embrace, turning over to face him. He kissed Xander, who didn't care at all that they probably both had morning breath; two wrongs might not make a right, but two morning breaths cancelled each other out, just like it was okay to have onion on your pizza as long as the other person did, too. "It's not as if I thought I'd be here forever," Giles said, brushing Xander's hair back from his face. He knew he was overdue for a haircut, but after he'd seen what Faith had done to Andrew's hair, Xander had fled screaming into the night. Figuratively, anyway, although there might have been a hint of an actual, literal scream. At least Robin -- and it had taken weeks for Xander to get used to thinking of the man as that and not 'Principal Wood' -- had that whole bald-headed thing going and didn't need to worry about Faith taking a pair of scissors to his hair. And sure, Xander knew he was avoiding thinking about Giles going back to London with Buffy and Dawn and Andrew. It was too hard to think about it, but then, he didn't think about Anya, either. "So what are your plans for the day?" Xander asked, sitting up and reaching to adjust his eye patch. "Well, for one, I was hoping not to have to get out of bed so soon," Giles complained. He threaded his fingers through Xander's hair and tugged gently. Xander collapsed back down next to him again, and Giles ran a hand down Xander's side to his hip. "Unless you don't want to...?" "Oh, I want to." Xander always wanted to. He slid down along Giles' body to his cock, already hard, and started to suck it. He loved everything about giving head -- the heat of the erection in his mouth, the taste of it on his tongue, the way it made Giles moan and push his hips forward. He loved knowing he had the power to make Giles loud and greedy. He even liked it when Giles came in his mouth, something that he'd imagined would be horrible, but Giles didn't let him go that far this time. Instead, Giles pulled him up on top of him and put both hands on Xander's ass, shoving up against him, slick and hot, until they both came at almost the same time, gasping and shuddering. "Mm. Much better," Giles said, kissing Xander thoroughly before patting his ass and rolling to the side. Xander had that feeling again, the one that since they'd had sex he should probably leave. Giles had never come right out and said it, but it was definitely there, hovering, unsaid. "I should go grab a shower before anyone else gets up," he said, gesturing toward the hallway. They weren't officially sharing a room, even though Xander had slept in Giles' bed every night for the past two weeks. This was the latest he'd stayed, and even though it was only nine thirty he knew they were pushing their luck. Sooner or later, someone would catch him sneaking out of Giles' room, and then everyone would know. Only maybe not, because in two days the house was going to be a much emptier place. "All right." Giles sat up and put on his glasses. He always looked more like himself with his glasses on, and less like the guy that Xander spent every night having sex with. "I'll see you at lunch?" "Yeah, sure." They'd all gotten into the habit of eating together somehow, and that was nice, especially since they wouldn't all be together too much longer. Giles would leave and take the others with him, and then it would just be Faith and Robin and Xander, along with the handful of new slayers who'd agreed to stay in Cleveland and keep watch over the hellmouth. Dawn was in hyper-speed mode at lunch, talking excitedly with lots of hand motions and wide eyes about some translation she'd figured out, so none of the rest of them managed to get more than a couple of words in edgewise. An afternoon training with the girls left Xander aching and tired, even though he was in better shape than he'd been in in his life after the past six weeks in the big rented house. Vi had flipped him when he hadn't been expecting it, and now his shoulder hurt. He just hoped he hadn't done any real damage. He went into the upstairs bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, taking out a bottle of painkillers and shaking two tablets out into his palm. He thought about it some more, then added a third tablet before putting the bottle back and swallowing the pills with some water. "Are you all right?" Giles asked from the doorway, making him jump. "Jeez! Scare the crap out of me, why don't you." Xander put his hand on his chest like doing that could somehow quiet his racing heart and gave Giles a half-hearted glare. "I'm sorry," Giles said, genuinely repentant. "I thought you knew I was here." "Well, I didn't," Xander said, then sighed and rubbed his sore shoulder. "Yeah, I'm okay. Sometimes training with a bunch of slayers makes me feel like the biggest couch potato ever." "You're hardly a couch potato," Giles said. He moved in closer and stood behind Xander, putting his hands on Xander's shoulder and rubbing, first gently, then more firmly until Xander let his head fall forward and a low groan escape his lips. "Come with me," Giles whispered into his ear, and Xander went because he always did what Giles said. In Giles' room, Xander sat on the edge of the bed with Giles behind him. Giles rubbed his shoulders and upper back, and sometimes paused to kiss the back of Xander's neck, which left shiver-inducing damp spots on Xander's skin. "Are you cold?" Giles asked, after the second shiver. "No," Xander said. Giles kept rubbing, digging his thumbs into the tense muscles of Xander's shoulders with more force now, and Xander felt... wrong, somehow. Or maybe it was too right; it was hard to tell. All he knew was that the back of his throat hurt, and his eye stung, and it was getting hard to breathe through his nose. "Is that better?" Giles asked after a while, and Xander had to pull it together fast. "Yeah, it's great. Thanks." He stood up, not looking at Giles. "I'm gonna go take a shower before I tighten up again, okay? I'll see you at dinner." For a moment, Giles didn't answer. Then he sighed and said, "All right. Oh, and Xander?" Xander paused with his hand on the door knob. "Yeah?" "I left your ticket in your room. On your chest of drawers." "Okay. Thanks." Xander didn't even think about what Giles had said until he was in his own room and pulling his t-shirt off over his head angrily, brushing away tears. Then he stopped, looking at the top of his bureau, where a small folder sat, obvious against the otherwise empty flat surface. With a trembling hand, Xander picked up the cardboard envelope and flipped it open. Inside was a plane ticket dated two days later and with his name on it. Furious and shaking, he stalked back to Giles' door and flung it open. Giles looked up, startled. "Xander?" "Is this a joke?" Xander asked, waving the ticket. "Is this a fucking joke?" He knew his voice was loud enough to attract attention in the rest of the house, but right then he didn't care. Giles looked shocked. "No. It's not... why would you think it's a joke?" "Because you're going to London without me, that's why!" Xander shouted, flinging the ticket folder to the floor. "Since when?" Giles asked. "I... you don't want to go. Is that it?" He seemed sad, withdrawn, like someone had just run over his puppy. "It's your decision, of course. I shouldn't have assumed." Confused, Xander just stared at him. "You mean... you want me to go with you?" "Of course I want you to come with me! I'm in love with you, for God's sake!" Giles was standing up now, eyes blazing. There was a noise in the hallway behind Xander, and he turned to see Buffy and Dawn, mouths hanging open in shock. "Um... we'll just..." Buffy didn't seem to know what to say. "We heard yelling," Dawn explained. "We just wanted to make sure everything was okay." "It's fine," Xander said, feeling his mouth curving up into a smile as the knowledge that Giles loved him crept over him. "Are you sure?" Dawn asked doubtfully. "Because we could --" She stopped when Buffy elbowed her in the ribs. "Oof! Okay, okay." "We're fine," Xander repeated, and gently shut the door, hoping that they'd understand that right then he really, really needed a few minutes alone with Giles. Who loved him. "Sorry," Xander said, feeling sheepish and tucking his hands into his pockets. "Didn't mean to go all, you know, crazy on you." "No; it's just as much my fault as yours," Giles said. "I should have made it clear what I wanted. Spelled it out." He came closer. "I thought this was just..." Xander tried to put it into words. "I don't know. Temporary. I didn't think you wanted... that." Me. "I do want that," Giles said, hooking a finger inside Xander's waistband and towing him forward until they were touching all along the lines of their bodies. "I want you, with me." He leaned in close enough that their lips were almost touching, too. "What do you want, Xander?" Xander slipped an arm around Giles' waist and grinned. "I want you," he said. "Even if I have to go to London to have you. Which, I'll point out, is a huge sacrifice, and one I'd only make for someone I loved. What with all I've heard about bubble and squeak and bangers and mash and shandy." "Dreadful stuff, shandy," Giles murmured. "I'll be sure to protect you from it." "Oh good," Xander said, and then they were too busy kissing to talk any more. End.
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