Title: It's Raining Men, Hallelujah!

Author/pseudonym: Silk

Fandom: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Pairing: Spike/Xander

Rating: NC-17

Status: New/Complete

Date: 12/8/01

Archive: If I sent it to you, please feel free to archive.

Series/Sequel: No

Disclaimers: All BtVS characters belong to Joss Whedon. I am merely playing with them nicely. This work is not for profit.

Notes: This is my first foray into BtVS fanfic. I hope I've gotten Spike and Xander right. This is in response to Peja's new ML. I hope this does it justice.

Summary: Xander and Spike rediscover each other with surprising results.

Warnings: M/M, AU, First Time. No actual sex takes place, just a few bad words at the end. Hence, the NC-17 rating.

This is, as always, dedicated to my Muse, my Sister, Tinnean, without whom such things might never be possible.

It's Raining Men, Hallelujah!

by Silk

Xander faced the mirror and studied his reflection. He frowned and turned to his companion, a handsome man completely naked except for a fine silver thong that separated the globes of his taut buttocks. "I dunno. You think it needs something?"

"Sugar, you look good enough to eat in that get-up. If I wasn't going steady already, I'd take a bite outta you myself. Rowr!"

Xander's chocolate brown eyes grew sad. "I wish *I* had a boyfriend."

"Sweetie, you will. Someday. You just haven't met the right man."

"Ya think?" Xander leaned forward and brushed his thick brown hair out of his face.

"Uh huh. Now get out there and knock 'em dead."

*****

Xander shouldered his realistic-looking automatic weapon and stepped out of the shadows. "And now...fresh from the Hellmouth itself, it's...Soldier Boy!" announced a disembodied voice.

To the strains of the soundtrack from "Apocalypse Now", Xander began to dance. His camouflage fatigues were ripped in strategic places, allowing members of the audience to peek at what was soon to be uncovered. Heavy leather boots covered his feet, but they didn't keep the young man from being surprisingly agile.

He posed, legs spread wide, abdominal muscles rippling, as his silver dogtags gleamed and glinted under the hot lights. All those years spent flitting from job to job, all of them dull, or worse, meaningless. Till now.

Xander had truly found his calling. As an exotic dancer.

But he still wasn't happy. He had fame. He had money. He even had the respect of his peers. But it wasn't enough.

He still didn't have a special someone to love. He didn't know if he ever would.

*****

After two sets, Xander was exhausted. Raking one hand through his wet hair, he rubbed a fluffy white towel over his face with the other. His fans loved it when he got hot and sweaty. They tipped even more generously than usual.

Still feeling a bit down, Xander made his way into his dressing room, not really noticing that he was under close observation. He dropped the towel on the floor with a soft plop. Suddenly he saw a beautiful, long-stemmed red rose artfully arranged on the top of his dresser.

"What's this?" he asked out loud, searching for a card.

"I always knew you had the potential to be a real knockout."

Xander's head came up sharply. "Spike!" he gasped.

"None other."

"What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for you."

"No, I mean, here, in Vegas. The desert doesn't seem like a great vacation spot for a vampire somehow."

"Yeah, well...you're tan *all over*, aren't you, you little ex-blue collar worker, you?

"You came all the way from Sunnydale to compliment me on my tan?" Xander snorted.

"Not exactly."

"Well, get to it. I'm dying for a shower."

"I'm getting to it as fast as I can."

"Well, get to it even faster. I can't wait to get wet." As the last syllable left his mouth, Xander gulped and forced himself to be quiet. He couldn't believe he'd just told Spike that he wanted to get...wet. It didn't help that his body was barely covered in a miniscule scrap of silver fabric. A scrap that even now strained to contain the growing hardness between his muscular legs.

Instead of getting to the point, though, Spike turned and started cataloguing the various things that Xander had collected during his current run. He seemed truly preoccupied until he blurted out, apropos of nothing, "So...you got a boyfriend?"

"Nah...I haven't felt like settling down with one person," Xander lied. He had no idea why he lied, but it seemed important not to let Spike know how needy he was. The truth was, back in the day, when he'd been just another anonymous Slayerette, he had often fantasized about Spike. But Slayers and their sidekicks did *not* fraternize with vampires, neutered or otherwise.

Unless, of course, they were Buffy, Xander's inner voice nagged him.

Spike didn't say anything, but his eyes caressed the younger man's face.

"So...you were here for a while, yes? You must have seen who left the rose."

If Spike was hurt that Xander didn't realize that *he* had left the rose on his dresser, he hid it well. "No," Spike said huskily. "Guess it must have been one of your secret admirers."

"Hm...guess it's gonna stay a secret, then." With that, Xander picked up the rose and threw it into the wastebasket next to the dresser.

"I'm off to take my shower. If you're still here tomorrow, why don't you take in the show, my treat? Maybe we can have a drink after."

"Sure." Spike stared at the rose lying on top of soiled tissues in the wastebasket.

After Xander entered the bathroom, Spike carefully fished out the rose, inadvertently pricking himself on a thorn. Wincing as he sucked on his finger, he murmured, "See what you get for trying to follow your heart just this once? A bloody reminder to keep your feelings to yourself."

*****

Xander pulled his jacket on and headed for the stage door. Even though it was well after midnight, it was never truly dark in Vegas. The Strip was well-lit from dusk till dawn. Hence, there were few shadowy places to hide along the length of the Strip. Unless you were cunning.

Spike stepped under the artifical light that made his blond hair look white. "Xander."

"Spike! I thought you were going to come back tomorrow."

Spike gazed at Xander unsmilingly. "I waited for you."

"Why?"

"Wanted to see you, I guess."

"Well...what's so important suddenly, Spike?"

"This...for one thing." He pulled the long-stemmed rose from inside his duster and offered it to Xander.

Making a moue of distaste, Xander said, "Gee, Spikey, you plucked it from a fate worse than death in my wastebasket, just to give it to me? Thaaaankkks."

His eyes narrowing with vampiric speed, Spike snatched the prized rose out of Xander's hand, accidentally wounding him in the process. "You ungrateful whelp! I'm the one who left it there in the first place. Not that *you* bloody well noticed!"

"Why would *you* leave me flowers, Spike?" Xander asked silkily.

"Flower, one, not flowers, plural! Why do you think, Soldier Boy?"

"Oh, I get it. You've got an itch and you want me to scratch it. Well, thanks but no thanks, Spike. I'm saving myself for someone with more *bite* in 'em."

Spike gave Xander a wicked grin. "Really? Well, this must be your lucky
day!"

Xander opened his mouth, then immediately shut it. "Ummm..."

"For years I wanted you. For years I thought I wasn't good enough. Then the chip came out and I thought...we're equals now. But we're not, are we?"

"No," Xander sputtered nervously. "You can...kill me...now."

"You're right. I could. If I wanted to." Spike's blue eyes shone with a clarity that Xander had never seen before. "But what if I don't want to?"

"You don't want to?"

"No. There's only one thing I want from you...and I can see now that I'll never get it. So...I guess I'll be on my way."

Xander took a deep breath and abandoned the brittle facade he'd been hiding behind. Placing his hand firmly in the middle of Spike's abdomen, he stopped the vampire from walking away. "Iwantedyoutoo."

"What?"

"IsaidIwantedyoutoo."

"Ohhh..." Spike gave Xander a coy smile and allowed himself to enjoy the warm feel of the mortal's hand. "Maybe we could work something out then? Seeing as how it's all mutual like and everything."

Xander's hand slowly crept under Spike's shirt and palmed a flat male nipple. "You could do me right here in the alley," he whispered.

"Or I could walk you home, you tasty bit of--"

"You'd prefer a bed?"

Spike covered his mouth with his cool lips and kissed him. Drawing back a bit breathlessly, though he had no need to breathe, Spike leaned his forehead on Xander's. "If you laugh at me, I swear I'll leave and you'll never need to worry about seeing me again."

"I'm not laughing, Spike. I swear." The naked anguish in the young man's voice was enough to convince Spike that he regretted his earlier jibes at Spike's expense.

"I love you, Xander. I want to make love to you, not fuck you stupid on the street."

Xander whimpered as Spike's hands caressed his lower back. "Umm...I love you, too. But you don't really have anything against fucking me stupid on the street, do you?"

End