Tattoo It On Me

by Zadi

DISCLAIMER: None of these wonderful characters belong to me, unfortunately. They belong to Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, and a bunch of other suit-types I don't know. Joss, I promise to return the boys to you when I'm finished playing with them.

RATING: R (more for language than anything else)

ARCHIVE: Sure thing, if you really want it. Just let me know where it's going.

CATEGORY: Spike/Xander

SPOILERS: None really. Completely AU and maybe a futurefic. Spike doesn't have a chip, but he's a good guy.

SUMMARY: Xander decides he wants a tattoo.

FEEDBACK: Yes, please!!! zadislash@comcast.net (please don't make me beg . . . It is so undignified!)

ANOTHER AUTHOR'S NOTE: All CAPS indicates emphasis on the word or phrase. *Text between asterisks* indicates a characters thoughts or silent monologue. * * * * * indicates a passage of time.


Tattoo It On Me
by Zadi

Ignoring the sounds of traffic in the background, Xander and Spike survey the storefront window before them. A bright neon sign declares GUS' TATTOO EMPORIUM, while a small cardboard sign announces the shop's hours as 3pm till 3am, seven days a week. Through the glass, the lovers see a rather large man, shaved bald, his arms covered in ink. They can only surmise that the rest of his body was thusly colored. A gothic girl sits behind the counter, reading a magazine of some sort. A few customers mill about the shop, admiring the artwork on the walls. Spike turns to Xander. "You sure you wanna do this, pet?" he asks.

Xander merely nods, not even turning to look at the blonde vampire who had become his mate. He steps forward, opens the door into the tattoo shop, and enters. Spike follows closely behind.

The gothic girl looks up from her magazine. "Hi, welcome to Gus' Tattoo Emporium," she says in a rather bored voice. "My name is Heidi. How can we help you?"

In spite of himself, Spike chuckles. "Heidi?" he repeats.

The gothic girl frowns. "Yeah, don't ya just hate it? I could just kill my parents." She bats her heavily made up eyelashes at Spike. Xander immediately takes one of Spike's hands in his own, making sure that Heidi sees. She does. She smiles broadly, and winks at the two. "You two are just yummy looking. Oh, but I'm sure you get that all the time." She winks at Xander. "So, what brings you boys in?"

Before Xander can answer, Spike replies, "Nummy here wants some ink." He squeezes Xander's hand, and then just to give Heidi a little thrill, a quick peck on the lips.

"Awwwww," she says. "You guys must be so in love."

"Yeah, we're disgustingly sweet," Xander says. "Four out of five dentists recommend you not hang around us, or you'll get horrible cavities."

Heidi actually giggles. A giggle coming from a goth is somewhat alarming. She immediately realizes what she's done, and covers her mouth with her hand.

"Oi, black polish, just like mine!" Spike says, displaying his similarly polished nails. "So, what's say, ducks? Can you fit us in tonight?"

"Oh, sure thing," Heidi responds, closing her magazine. She turns around. "Hey Gus, got a virgin for you."

Xander blushes and starts to insist, in no uncertain terms, that he is in not a virgin. "Uhm, virgin not."

Heidi laughs and gently touches Xander's arm. "No, silly. I'm pretty sure you're not THAT kind of virgin." She winks at Spike. "I meant, you're a virgin to getting inked!"

Blushing, Xander nods. "Oh, yeah. Well . . . that would be an affirmative."

Gus, the large man the lovers had observed earlier, walks over. "Hey guys," he says extending his hand out. "Name's Gus." He takes first Spike's, then Xander's hand, pumping them furiously. He notices that the brown haired man's hands are moist, while the blonde's are very cold.

"Spike 'ere," Spike says. "And this is Xander."

Gus eyes the two knowingly. "You boys been together long?"

Xander blanches. *What, do I have a sign on that says FAG on it or something?* "Uhm, well . . . yeah, about a year . . ."

Spike interrupts. "One year, three months, seventeen days," he looks at his watch, "six hours, and forty-eight minutes." Xander looks at him in surprise. Spike just looks at him with a 'What?' expression on his face.

Gus looks at Heidi and grins. "Ain't love grand?" The two laugh for a moment, and then Gus walks around Xander and Spike, squeezing his large girth between the two and putting an arm around each. "So, who's gonna be getting that artwork?"

Fumbling in his pockets for the piece of paper he had stuck in there earlier, Xander answers "That would be me." He gives the piece of paper to Gus, who carefully unfolds it.

After looking at the drawing, he looks first at Xander and then at Spike, his pierced eyebrow raised. "All right, then, come on back, let's get started."

Xander and Spike follow Gus back to a private room. After closing the door, he washes his hands and asks, "So Xander, where did ya want the ink done?"

Xander nervously looks at Spike, who nods his encouragement, and then mumbles, "Iwasthinkingmaybeonmyleftbuttcheek."

"Say again?"

Xander takes a breath, calming himself, and repeats (this time much more slowly), "I was thinking maybe on my left butt cheek."

This does not surprise Gus in the least. "Okay, drop trou, buddy."

"I beg your pardon?"

Gus laughs, a belly laugh, filled with amusement and mischief. "Drop trou. If you want me to tattoo your ass, you're gonna have to get nekkid."

Xander blushes an impossible shade of scarlet, and Spike chuckles. "Come on, pet, give the man what he wants."

"You," Xander says, his eyes narrowing, Aare gonna sleep on the sofa tonight." Spike affects a pout, a look he knows will weaken Xander's resolve and earn himself a night of exquisite sex. Xander just stands there, his hands on his hips, attempting to glare at Spike, and knowing full well that if his lover said the moon was made of grape juice, we would agree.

As Gus readies his equipment, Spike tires of waiting for his lover to remove his pants, so the blonde vampire attempts to give some assistance. Xander slaps his hands away. "Do you mind, Blondie?" he asks, his voice a mix of irritation and nervousness. "I can dress . . . or, as the case may be . . . undress myself, thank you very much."

"Right." Smirk.

Xander steps out of his sneaks, and pulls his jeans down. Spike takes the jeans and carefully folds them before placing them in the empty chair. The blonde indicates that Xander should relieve himself of his boxers as well. Xander glares at Spike, who wriggles his eyebrows and sticks out his tongue. Xander mouths, "Later."

Reluctantly, Xander steps out of his boxers and gives them to Spike, who folds them and places them on top of the jeans.

"Uhm, Gus?" Xander asks.

Still preparing his equipment, Gus answers, "Yeah?"

"Where do you want me?"

Gus grins, and then turns to face the brown haired man. "Well now, sugar, I don't know if your boyfriend would appreciate that!" He winks at the two, and then lets out with another belly laugh. Tears forming at the corners of his eyes, he indicates the long chair next to the cabinet. "Just lie down, face down, there."

Xander climbs up on the chair and lays his body across it. The naugahyde is cold against his skin. It reminds him of his lover's body. He shivers, remembering their love making from the night before, and in anticipation of their love making tonight.

Gus turns to Xander, his preparations finalized. "Nice butt!" he says, more to get a laugh from the blonde than anything else. Spike happily obliges.

"Okay Xander," Gus says. "Just so you'll know, this is the sound you're gonna hear while I'm inking ya." He turns on the electronic needle and lets it whir for a few seconds. "Now, I ain't gonna lie to ya. This is gonna sting a bit, but after a few minutes, your endorphins will kick in and it won=t bother ya much. First thing I'm gonna do, though," he adds, "is transfer your artwork to your skin." Gus turns to Spike. "You do the art?" Spike nods. "Nice work. You ever think of putting together a book of tattoo art, you let me know. I'll buy it from ya."

The blonde vampire nods again. "Cool."

Gus transfers the artwork to Xander's behind. It feels odd to Xander to have someone other than Spike's hands on his skin. He cranes his head around so he can see his lover. Spike moves closer and takes one of Xander's hands into his own.

"You okay, nummy?" he asks, concern in his voice and eyes.

"Yeah," Xander mumbles.

"Alrighty," Gus interjects. "Let's get started." Xander hears the whirring sound of the tattoo needle machine thingamajig. And then he feels pain as the needle assaults the left cheek of his behind.

"Holy shit!" he cries out, squeezing Spike's hands so hard that the vampire actually feels pain as well.

Spike is immediately leaning down, in Xander's face. "You okay, pet? You want him to stop?"

Xander shakes his head. "No. Just . . . more than I thought . . . I'm . . . okay."

Gus continues to apply the ink to Xander's body, artfully coloring in the design. Every now and then, he looks down at Spike, who is attentively soothing the brown haired man with a purring type sound. Gus notices that Spike's eyes, which had been a crystal blue earlier, were now flecked with a yellowish gold. He nods to himself, as if affirming a suspicion he had earlier.

After five minutes, Xander no longer feels the intense pain he'd felt initially. After fifteen minutes, he feels barely anything at all, just a dull pricking sensation. After thirty minutes, Gus makes a final wipe over the new tattoo with antiseptic, and announces the completion of his work. He puts a layer of saran wrap over the tattoo, and gives Xander specific instructions on how to care for his new body art.

Xander stands slowly, stretching. His butt hurts a little, but the endorphins in his brain are still firing away at synapses, telling his body it's not as bad as at seems. Spike leans in and gives his lover a soft kiss on the cheek.

Gus clears his throat, causing both men to glance his way. "You're a vamp, ain'tcha?" Gus asks, looking Spike directing in the eyes.

"Righto." There is a gleam in Spike's eyes, and a knowing smile on his lips.

Xander is dumbfounded. "How . . . how'd you know?" he finally asks.

In an instant, Gus' features change. His skin turns an odd shade of orange, and his nose grows insanely long. His eyes turn a bright and vivid pink. He belly laughs again, but this time the laugh is lower pitched. "Takes a demon to know a demon?"

Xander, even more dumbfounded than before, turns to Spike. "Did you know?" he demands.

Spike nods. "Yep. Best tattoo artist in the city, he is, and just happens to be a Larook demon!" Spike lifts Xander from the chair and positions him in front of the mirror. He takes the hand mirror on the cabinet, and gives it to the brown haired mortal. "Oi, take a look pet!"

Xander positions the hand mirror so that he can see the reflection from the full length mirror in it. It takes him a moment, but he finally is able to see the tattoo. Artwork designed by his lover Spike. A white canine with a single drop of blood falling from it. Xander smiles, admiring the ink.

"Bitchin'."



The End